Back In Her Hands
by Grey-X
Summary: OOT&MM fic. It's been months after Ganondorf's defeat, and Link has finally returned to Hyrule, seeking to be reunited with Zelda. But soon after they are, something bizarre happens to Zelda that'll test their new relationship. FINISHED
1. Worlds Apart

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 1: Worlds Apart  
5-17-2004  
by Grey

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

Patiently he waited, sitting in the branches of a tall tree. Of course, patience had never been his strong suit. When you possess a musical instrument that can manipulate time itself to suit your needs, you tend to not develop a willingness to wait for anything. Then again, he had only used it like that during those two times he worked to save the world from unfathomable evils....

So Link continued to wait in his spot high up in the tree, watching out for the Wolfos that would come along at any moment. On a nearby farm, livestock had been slaughtered by a Wolfos for over a week, and Link, being the nice guy he was, agreed to do something about it. That Wolfos would be sure to pass through this part of the forest to get to the farm. But he had no idea WHEN the Wolfos would come, so here he sat, waiting for it to come along....

Growing tired of waiting, Link looked up and stared into the starry night sky. There was a full moon out tonight. But of course, this moon didn't have a scowling face, glowering at everyone down below with fearsome red eyes as it fell ever closer. No, he had solved that problem over.... just how long had it been now?

Link thought back to years past, when he had first learned of his destiny as the Hero of Time. He vividly remembered getting caught up in the struggle for the Triforce. His spirit got trapped in the Sacred Realm for seven years, and he awakened to find himself a fully-grown man, with a whole land being conquered by Ganondorf and crying out for his help. With Princess Zelda's help, he beat the King of Evil and had him sealed away in the Sacred Realm. Afterwards, he was returned to his original time. But he left Hyrule after that....

It was only weeks later that Link found himself caught up in a more dangerous adventure. That one Skull Kid from the Kokiri Forest had gotten his hands on a powerful relic called Majora's Mask and made his way to an alternate world called Termina. The mask housed an evil spirit that corrupted the Skull Kid and made him cause all sorts of trouble, the worst being causing the moon to crash into Earth within three days. Link had to relive the same three days over and over to release the Four Giants, the protective gods of Termina. They stopped the moon from falling, while he went on to beat Majora's Mask once and for all.

That had all happened years ago. Since then, Link had grown up naturally, instead of being a child who suddenly found himself in an adult body. He had travelled long and far in those years since he saved the world.... twice. But he never found himself in any other situations like when he fought against Ganondorf and Majora's Mask. To be honest, he was finding life a bit too boring....

Absent-mindedly, he rummaged through his supplies bag. Yes, he still had them - the transformation masks he had gotten in Termina, which allowed him to turn into a Deku scrub, a Goron warrior and a Zora musician. They had proven invaluable in Termina, and he still used them from time to time. He had also held on to some of the more useful masks he had found in Termina, like the Stone Mask, Bunny Hood, Mask of Truth, and.... 

_Huh? I still have the Giant's Mask?_ Link thought to himself. Most of the other masks he got in Termina he later sold or gave away, yet for some reason, he held on to this one, even though he had only been able to use it once. And how long ago was that?

Link had sort of lost track of time over the years, but now that he thought about it, he guessed it had now been over seven years. That meant, his past self that had travelled into the future, had defeated Ganondorf months ago, and....

Link's train of thought was rudely interrupted by a sonorous howl that resounded throughout the forest. No doubt that his quarry had finally arrived. Link looked down from his perch and, sure enough, there was a Wolfos running along the forest trail toward the farm. 

Under the light of a full moon, that Wolfos was an insanely easy target, impossible for Link to miss. He took out his bow, powered up an ice arrow, and let it fly. Link's shot was right on target, freezing the Wolfos solid. Link followed up with a normal arrow, and its frozen body shattered to pieces. A quick, painless death; Link was in a good mood tonight.

* * *

Link walked along the edges of the river that flowed near the farm he just saved from a Wolfos attack. The farm's owners had offered him a place to stay, but for some reason Link couldn't accept. He seemed to have this chronic need to always be on the move, as if searching for something. 

That sort of life had been lonely, though. He had made some friends, sure, but none like the good friends he had made in Hyrule. He didn't even have a fairy companion anymore; he never did find Navi, and Tatl had left him almost immediately after the crisis in Termina had passed. And at one point he even had to let Epona go, so that she would find her way back to Lon Lon Ranch in Hyrule. More and more these days he found himself longing for the friends he had made in Hyrule, both as a a child and as a time-travelling adult. Darunia and his fellow Gorons, all the Kokiri he grew up with, Nabooru's Gerudo tribe, Ruto and her father, Malon, Impa....

Princess Zelda....

Link walked to the river's waters and took a good look at his reflection. There was no denying that he now looked exactly like he did when he fought Ganondorf that time. The only differences were that he had the Great Fairy's Sword and the Mirror Shield from Ikana Castle instead of the Master Sword and a Hylian Shield. Other than that, he looked just like he did when he travelled forward in time seven years.

His thoughts soon returned to Hyrule itself and all the friends he had made there. For a long time, he had wanted to return, but he knew that he could not. The three goddesses of Hyrule came to him in a vision one night shortly after he saved Termina. They told him that he couldn't return to Hyrule during the seven years his past self had been in stasis within the Sacred Realm. The flow of history had to remain undisturbed; Ganondorf was to be defeated when his past self reemerged after those seven years as the Hero of Time, with Princess Zelda at his side helping him, and not before then. The goddesses forbade him from returning to Hyrule any time before that and interfering in any way.

Link had grudgingly accepted their decree, and simply travelled anywhere else he could find. But travel as he may, he couldn't find the peace of mind he was sure a return trip to Hyrule would give him. He even returned to Termina a couple of times, but it just wasn't the same. It was Hyrule he longed for, and the people who lived there. Especially....

Once again, his thoughts turned to Zelda. It was funny, really. He had only been with her for a short time, but out of everyone he knew in Hyrule, she was the one he thought most about. It was the same way after waking from seven years of slumber, too. Throughout his adventures through Hyrule as an adult, the one thought that kept popping up in his mind was finding Zelda and making sure he was safe. And to find out that she was with him all along in disguise! And when she helped him battle Ganon and seal him away.... only his climactic battle with Majora's Mask was more vivid in his memories than that.

And after all this time, he still wondered why he was so obsessed with finding Zelda, even though he had other problems like saving the Gorons from Volvagia and stopping the curse that had imprisoned all the Zoras in ice. Was it because maybe he thought of her as more than a friend....?

Link looked up and out at the expansive waters of the flowing river, and made a decision. He reached into his supplies bag again, pulled out his Zora Mask and put it on, transforming him once again into Mikau. Wasting no time, he dived into its waters and followed its current out into the ocean. _I've had enough of waiting,_ he thought decisively. _It's been over seven years now. Ganondorf is gone, so there's no reason why I can't go back._ And so, Link headed out into the vast ocean, searching for the way that would lead him to the waters of Lake Hylia, leading him back to Hyrule. 

And to Zelda.

* * *

The blazing sun hung directly overhead, sending its rays of searing heat down on everyone in the market town outside Hyrule Castle. Or rather, down on the market town that was being rebuilt, which what outside the halfway-rebuilt Hyrule Castle. Progress with rebuilding the castle over Ganondorf's collapsed tower and rebuilding the local market town had been agonizingly slow.

Zelda took her rag and wiped the sweat off her face. Good thing she decided to wear simple work clothes; in this weather, she would likely die of heat stroke in her dressy, royal get-up.

Trying to ignore the heat, she got back to her work. She had decided to take part in rebuilding the market town, to show how serious she was about restoring Hyrule to its former glory now that Ganondorf was gone. She was essentially the ruler of Hyrule now, and felt it was necessary for her people to see her working to do just that.

But on hot days like this, she really regretted it.

Sighing, she grabbed another big, long metal rod and dragged it over to the foundation of the house she was rebuilding. Then she took her big brush and dipped it into a ceramic pot containing a silvery-white liquid, and proceeding to apply the liquid to the end of the rod with her brush. After that was done, she stuck the rod into the foundation where the wall was to be constructed. Then she went for another rod to repeat the process. 

The metal rods were to serve as a skeletal structure for the wall once it was built, which would make it sturdier than the previous buildings the town once had. Zelda was determined to not only have Hyrule restored to its former, prosperous state, but to make it even better than before. Having better-built houses and stores would certainly help.

Zelda dipped her brush in the pot again. She stared at the resplendent liquid within. A marvelous invention, this stuff, which was given to her by Nabooru, who called it 'metaldissolve'. The stuff slowly ate away at metal, and by using it the way she was, it turned the bottom parts of the support beams into putty, allowing them to settle and reshape into the spots they were stuck in, making them even sturdier. The stuff also helped greatly in clearing out the ugly remains of Ganondorf's tower that still lingered after its collapse.

After sticking the support beam into the foundation, she surveyed the site. About ten more, and then she could get to work with the masonry. By the Goddesses, this was taking her forever....

"Still at it, I see," came a voice from behind her. Zelda immediately knew who it was; Impa, her nursemaid and dear friend. Zelda stood and turned to face her, and immediately caught the disapproving look in her eyes. Impa hated how she was pushing herself to get all the work in the market done.

"Yeah," she replied indifferently. "There's still a lot of work to be done here. I want this town rebuilt as quickly as possible."

Impa shook her head. "It isn't really necessary to push yourself like this. No one really expects you to do so much. And besides, we've got plenty of help already." Impa gestured behind her, where a Goron was busily working at another building site. With his strength, he had no problem with setting up the support beams and laying down brick, stone and mortar. He was doing it in less than half the time it was taking Zelda. 

In the months after Ganondorf's defeat, an unprecedented sense of unity had flourished in Hyrule, with all the races helping each other to rebuild their societies. The Gorons helping to rebuild the castle and castle town was but one example. Nabooru and her entire Gerudo tribe had been lending a hand to the Zoras in restoring their ruined home, for one thing. The Gerudo under Nabooru had also opened up to the rest of Hyrule like never before. And in many ways, so had the previously-reclusive Kokiri, providing lumber for use in Kakiriko Village, among other things.

"So you see, Princess," continued Impa, "there's no need to work yourself to the bone. With the Gorons and the other workers here, we'll get the town done in reasonable time."

Although she would have welcomed getting out of the blazing midday heat, Zelda shook her head, refusing Impa's advice. "No, I can't stop. I'm basically queen of Hyrule now. It's my duty to help my people," she said, returning to her work. She tried to ignore the stares from Impa she could still sense, but she wasn't having much luck.

"You still blame yourself, don't you?" Impa asked her solemnly.

Zelda stopped dead in her tracks. Impa was absolutely right; she still did blame herself for Ganondorf's rise to power. She was the only one she had ever told this to besides Link.

"That's why you're so insistent on doing all this work by yourself, isn't it?" Impa went on. "It's almost as if you're trying to punish yourself."

Zelda just stood there for a moment, completely silent. What Impa had just said did seem to make a lot of sense. "Yeah, I do still blame myself," she said at last. "If I hadn't been so arrogant, tampering with forces I didn't understand...."

"You did what you felt necessary," Impa said suddenly, cutting her off. "You knew what Ganondorf was plotting and tried to stop it. Besides, ever hear the saying 'Evil thrives when good people do nothing?'"

Zelda had to admit Impa did have a point. "I guess your right, but if I hadn't sent Link to find the Spiritual Stones, and then gave him the Ocarina of Time, he wouldn't have opened the Door of Time, and...."

"Ganondorf was a crafty and clever man," said Impa, interrupting Zelda again. "I have no doubt he would've managed to open the door without Link. But at least you tried to stop him. And if it weren't for you, Link would never have beaten him seven years later."

"That's just it," said Zelda sternly. "I really wasn't able to do anything without Link. I had to disguise myself all those years and wait for him before I could really do anything. Some help I was to my people, huh?"

Impa said nothing. It was clear to her that Zelda could not be reasoned with at the moment, for she was still far too resentful of herself. "Just don't overwork yourself," she said as a last bit of advice, then turned and walked away.

This left Zelda alone with her work again. Before long, she was done with the support beams and finally was able get started with the brick-laying. Focusing on her work, she tried to block out her turbulent thoughts. But it was useless. Her argument with Impa had brought up the one thing that had been foremost on her mind lately. Or rather, the one person: Link.

In fact, it seemed he was always on her mind ever since she met him on that fateful day over seven years ago. His cute boyish looks and that crazed determination in his eyes were forever engraved in her memories. She remembered well how she instinctively knew he was the one she could trust to help stop Ganondorf. And then when he re-emerged a few months ago, how he had transformed into a handsome young man, ready to take the fight to Ganondorf. Even when Ganondorf had captured her, she knew in her heart Link would come and beat him. And then afterward, when she had to send him back to the past....

She had known him for only a short time, but it still felt as if they were lifelong friends. But she did only think of him as a friend, or was there more to it....?

_Oh Link,_ she thought to herself as she continued laying bricks. _Where are you right now? Will you ever come back?_

* * *

That night, all was quiet at Lake Hylia. No winds were blowing, and the waters were perfectly still.

In an instant, all that changed. A lone Zora leapt out of Lake Hylia's waters and onto the land. The Zora's hand then went for his face....

An instant later, Link was standing where the Zora had been standing, holding a mask that looked like a Zora's face. Link took a good look around him, and said aloud the one thing that was on his mind: "It's good to be home."

* * *

Well, that's it. Awfully short for an introductory chapter, I know (for a fic written by me, at least) . I plan to put plenty more stuff in the second chapter, so stay tuned.

So long,  
Grey  



	2. Reunion

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 2: Reunion  
6-11-2004  
by Grey

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

Link took a good look all around him; Lake Hylia was just as he remembered it. He briefly wondered if the rest of Hyrule would be the same as he remembered it.

If it was, he wasn't going to find out by standing around in Lake Hylia. He reached into his supply bag and pulled out another mask, this time it was the Goron mask. After putting it on and transforming into Darmani, he curled up and rolled towards the entrance to Hyrule Field. And once out into the field, he could head straight north, where the castle and Kakariko Village were. Sure, he could have easily used the Ocarina of Time to warp to the Temple of Time, but it was more fun this way. Besides, he wanted to see a bit more of Hyrule before he found Princess Zelda.

Once Link made it out onto Hyrule Field, he had picked up so much momentum he crashed right through the fence surrounding the entrance to Lake Hylia. _Whoops,_ thought Link absent-mindedly, having forgotten about the fence. _Oh well, guess I'll have to go back later and-- huh?_ His thoughts were interrupted by the sensation of running over something... squishy. _Oh yeah, Stalchildren,_ Link thought to himself, remembering about the pesky undead entities that roamed the field at night.

Less than a minute later, Link saw out of the corner of his eye that he was passing Lon Lon Ranch. He loudly skidded to a halt and uncurled himself to get a good look at the ranch. It, too, was exactly like he had left it. He could even hear Epona neighing happily within its boundaries. Link smiled, remembering his trusty horse, then curled up into a ball again and continued rolling northward at top speed.

As he neared the north end of Hyrule Field, Link considered where Zelda could be at the moment. _Now, let's see, Zelda will probably be somewhere in Kakariko Village, or if they've rebuilt it already, the castle...._ As he neared the drawbridge, Link skidded to a halt again and uncurled himself, taking a good look around. Far to his right was the mountain entrance leading up to Kakariko Village and the Goron City. Right in front of him was the entrance to the market down. _Drawbridge is still out,_ Link noticed, _but...._ He looked upward; thanks to the like of the full moon, he could see the outline of a tall structure that vaguely resembled Hyrule Castle before Ganondorf's takeover. Reasoning that was where Zelda would most likely be, Link, still in his Goron form, walked through the entrance to the market.

It was obvious that a lot of work had gone into renovating the market town. No longer was it an abandoned, ruined town infested with ReDeads, like it was when he saw it last. Now many of the buildings had been rebuilt, and lots of building equipment was still lying around, meaning that more work was going to be done. In fact, he saw two or three people still at it, even during the middle of the night! _Good thing THIS place isn't the same as I last saw it,_ he thought happily as he made his way toward the castle.

Link couldn't help but recall the first time he had come this way to meet Zelda. The Great Deku Tree's dying wish was that he come here to Hyrule Castle to meet Princess Zelda. Back then, 'Zelda' was just a name like any other, just a person he had to find to get information. _And now, I can't imagine going through life without seeing her again,_ he thought to himself.

Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly found himself in front of the gate blocking the way to Hyrule Castle. "Hey, who're you?" barked the soldier standing guard, who Link only now realized was there.

_Aw great, here we go again,_ thought Link dejectedly. _I'm going to have to sneak past all these soldiers again to get in the castle._

But the guard continued. "Never seen you before, but then again, all you Gorons look alike to me. Guess you're here to see Darunia. Well, I'll let you pass," he said, and then signaled for the gate to be opened. Link slowly walked through the gate, shaking his head with disbelief. If only the soldiers had let him through like that the first time he had come here!

_Wait a minute.... Darunia's here too? What's he doing here this late at night?_ thought Link, reflecting on the guard's words. Sure enough, as he neared the castle's entrance, he saw the outline of a rather tall Goron who was unmistakably Darunia. A wry smile formed on Link's face; this opportunity was too good to pass up.

Link continued to walk up to the castle, making sure that Darunia would see him coming. Sure enough, he did, and he stared Link down with a disapproving, gruff look, not unlike during the first time he met the leader of Hyrule's Goron tribe. "Who are you?!" he demanded. "I've never seen your face around here. Why have you come here?!" Link continued to smile broadly, and even let out a low chuckle. Darunia was always one to be baited easily. "What's so damn funny?!" shouted Darunia. "ANSWER ME, DAMNIT!"

"Darunia, is that any way to greet your sworn Brother?" said Link at last.

"Huh... sworn Brother?" said Darunia, clearly confused. "Liar! I've never seen you before!" Then he reached out grabbed Link by the shoulders and shook him violently. "Who are you REALLY?!"

Link said nothing and made no motion to pry Darunia loose. All he did was reace for his face and remove his mask, thereby trnasforming himself back into his normal self.

Darunia was completely thunderstuck. "L-Link...?" he managed to get out. "How did... what are you..."

"Surprise," was all Link said.

* * *

Enough of the castle was now rebuilt for some people to start living in it again, and Zelda was grateful for that. She desperately needed a good place to rest after such a rough day. Zelda stared out her room's window into the cloudless night sky. It was truly a beautiful sight, with a full moon and so many stars in full view. Still, it did little to lift her spirits. 

For one thing, her back was still aching from all the work she had done earlier that day. And she was still feeling lonely. Even after finally being able to shed her Sheik disguise and rejoin the world as Zelda, not everything turned out as happily as she thought it would. She was finally reunited with all her old friends and family without having to hide behind another identity, but none of that seemed to matter. She still missed who was perhaps the best friend she ever had....

"Eh?" muttered Zelda; something had caught her eye down below. Leaning over the windowsill to get a good view of the grounds below, she saw Darunia standing by the front entrance, obviously leaving for Death Mountain after his late-night meeting with her and Impa. But there something else. Straining her eyes to see what it was, Zelda could make out the shape of another Goron. But there was something different about this one.

"That hat... it looks like...." Zelda thought out loud, remembering just where she had seen a hat like that before. "No way, couldn't be him. He can't disguise himelf like that...."

Then, right before her eyes, as if to defy her statement, she saw the second Goron change. Now she could see the outline of a human. Upon closer inspection, Zelda could make out just who it was, but she only half-believed it. Could it really be.. HIM?

She had to find out.

Zelda quickly turned from the window and ran out of her bedroom. With lightning speed she tore through the castle, darting through the hallways and descending the stairs. More than once she almost tripped over her dress in her haste, but she didn't slow down for an instant. She HAD to see if it was really him.

It took her only about two minutes to reach the front entrance, but to her, it seemed to have taken an eternity. She peered out the entranceway, and still standing there was Darunia. And right beside him was unmistakably Link. He looked exactly like he did that day when he defeated Ganondorf once and for all.

"LINK!" she shrilled happily, running out to him. Her yell immediately caught Darunia and Link's attention. Before Link had a chance to react, Zelda threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him tightly. "Oh Link, you're back! I missed you so much!" she cried.

Zelda suddenly felt Link's arms being wrapped around her as well. "I missed you too," she heard him say softly. Zelda's heart began racing. She really hadn't expected a reaction like that. Could this mean he felt the same way she did?

"Er, well, I guess I'll leave you two alone to catch up," Darunia said sheepishly before rolling back toward Death Mountain.

Zelda wasn't sure how long she and Link were in each other's embrace, but they finally pulled themselves away from each other when they heard a voice calling. "It's good to see you've finally returned, Link," said Impa, having just walked out of the castle. "Many were wondering if you would ever return."

Oh, I couldn't stay away forever," replied Link. "I've made too many good friends here to never come back again." 

Zelda, still overflowing with joy, spoke up. "Well, let's not just stand around out here! Come on in, Link!" she cried happily, grabbing Link by the hand and leading him into the castle.

* * *

Zelda immediately had the castle cooks prepare a meal for Link, reasoning that he must have been hungry after his long journey home. Link tried to tell Zelda that it was really unnecessary, but she insisted, saying that he deserved a hero's welcome home. And Link, not wanting to seem rude for refusing her hospitality, reluctantly agreed. 

And so, over dinner he listened to Zelda tell him exactly what had happened in the months after Ganondorf's fall. Most of it was rather uneventful, and for some reason, that bothered Link.

"So it's been totally peaceful ever since we beat Ganondorf? All you've had to worry about is rebuilding?" he asked in a curious tone.

"Well, yes," answered Zelda. "You sound worried about that."

"It's just that, well, Ganondorf had a lot of soldiers and monsters working for him, and I know I didn't get them all. I just figured they'd still be around afterwards, that's all," said Link.

"I though about that too," said Zelda. "But Impa, Darunia, Nabooru and I searched everywhere in Hyrule trying to find Ganondorf's remaining forces, and nothing came up. I reasoned that they panicked and disbanded after we sealed away their leader."

It was as reasonable an explanation as any, but for some reason, it didn't really sit well with Link.

"But enough about me and Hyrule. I want to hear about you!" said Zelda, leaning over the table and smiling broadly at him.

"Uh, w-what about me?" said Link nervously, very mindful of the way Zelda was staring at him. Zelda smiled even more broadly. That had to be one of Link's most charming traits: his incoherence and nervousness around girls. It made him all the more.... lovable.

"I mean, what have you been up to ever since I sent you back? What have you been doing the past seven years?" she asked him, and she couldn't help chuckling after seeing his uneasiness about the prospect of talking about his life.

"Nothing much, really. Just travelling from place to place...." Link began.

"Oh! And I wanted to ask you, how DID you disguise yourself as a Goron?" asked Zelda, interrupting him. "You were never able to do that before!"

Link breathed a sigh of relief. That was something that had a concrete answer. "It was because of this," he said as he put his supply bag on the table and rummaged through its contents. He pulled out a mask that looked like a Goron's face. "It's this mask. When I put it on, I turn into a Goron."

"Whoa, cool!" cried Zelda, her interest now aroused. "I never heard of a mask doing that. Where did you find something like that?!"

Link smiled. "It's a long story. In fact, it's probably the only story about my travels worth telling."

And so, Link launched into his tale of his adventures in Termina, telling Zelda about everything that happened there. Zelda listened attentively as Link told her about the Skull Kid's troublemaking antics, all the problems Link had to fix and how he had to relive the same three days over and over, how he had to free the Four Giants to keep the moon from crashing into Clock Town, and finally, how he defeated Majora's Mask and destroyed the evil force within it.

Link's tale took several hours to tell, and Zelda sat through all of it, completely enthralled. When he finally finished, Zelda said, "Wow, that was amazing! Not only did you save Hyrule, but an alternate world too?!"

"Yep," answered Link coolly, getting up and strecthing.

"It's just so strange, an alternate world," said Zelda, more to herself than to Link. "I've heard stories, but never imagined there was actually a place like that! So, there were different versions of everyone there?"

"Well, not exactly EVERYONE. There were no Kokiri, for one thing. But most everyone here in Hyrule had counterparts there. Darunia, Nabooru, Ruto, the carpenters, that researcher by Lake Hylia.... even that Poe salesman that used to be in the market town! No double of Ganondorf though, thank the goddesses," he said with a little laugh.

Zelda laughed too. "But, I'm curious, was there a counterpart of me?"

"No, and it's a good thing there wasn't," said Link.

"Huh? Why?" asked Zelda, wondering why he would say something like that.

"Becuase, if you ask me, there could be no double of you," answered Link.

Zelda felt her cheeks flush. Did Link just say what she thought he said. Did Link get over his shyness around women and just complement her? Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Link yawning. "Oh my. Link, are you tired? The guest rooms are finished, if you wish to stay...."

"Nah, that's OK," said Link, cutting her off. "There's one more place that I wanted to go tonight: my home back in the Kokiri Forest."

"Huh, why's that?" asked Zelda, trying not to show her disappointment that Link wouldn't be staying in the castle.

"It's where I grew up, and I'd like to see it again," explained Link. "And I never did tell them exactly who I was last time I went there as a grown-up, never had the time. Can't wait to see the looks on their faces, especially Mido's."

Link then got the hint that Zelda was unhappy about hearing this. "Please, don't worry like that," he implored. "I'll be back here tomorrow. You have my word."

Zelda looked at him longingly. "You promise?"

"Of course!" cried Link. "Because, after all, you were the real reason I came back."

Zelda blushed an even deeper shade of red, and after seeing that, Link's traditional nervousness around girls set back in. "Uh, well, I might as well get going," he said as he grabbed his supply bag and left. But in his haste, he forgot to refasten the cover....

* * *

Link made his way through the market town towards the drawbridge, but it had gotten darker and it was harder to see where he was going. So it came as no surprise when he tripped over some metal rods near one of the houses, making him fall flat on his face. Muttering a curse as he got back up, he heard a voice call his name from behind him; Zelda's voice.

"Link, wait!" Zelda cried out from behind him, running up to him. When she finally reached him, she was completely out of breath. "Link, wait," she repeated.

"Zelda, what's wrong?" asked Link, suddenly concerned.

Zelda struggled to find the right words. "It's that... just now, well... you said I was the reason you returned."

"Yeah, and I meant it," replied Link nervously, not sure where this conversation was going.

"I-It's j-just that, ummm..." Zelda stuttered, trying to muster the courage to say what she had to say. "I-I've been waiting for you to return to, and, I-I think it's the same reason."

"Uh, really?" said Link, totally as a loss for what to say.

Zelda desperately tried to think of what to say next, but even with the power of the Triforce of Wisdom, she couldn't come up with anything. So she chose to let her actions speak for her instead. She reached out and grabbed Link, pulling him toward her. Then, before he could do anything else, she kissed him, taking Link completely by surprise. Zelda wrapped her arms around him and kissed him harder, using her tongue to pry open his mouth.

Link just stood there, nonplussed. He had never been kissed by a girl before. He'd been hit on plenty of times, but never been kissed. He didn't really know what to do.

Zelda broke the kiss and backed away. Link just stared at her, trying to process all that had just happened. "L-Link, I-I...."

"Zelda.... y-you r-r-really...." Link stammered.

"I-I'm sorry Link," said Zelda, suddenly ashamed of what she had just done. "I-I couldn't think of a way to tell you, s-so I just...."

This time, Link was the one who reached out to Zelda. He forcefully pulled Zelda to him and planted a kiss of his own. After overcoming her surprise, she wrapped her arms around him again, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss.

After a while, Link broke the kiss and looked into Zelda's eyes -- those beautiful blue eyes he could easily lose himself in. "Zelda, for a long time now, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you," he told her, the two of them still holding each other close. "I was serious: you're the reason I'm back. I had to see you again."

"Oh, Link," Zelda said breathlessly. "It's been the same way with me. I couldn't get you out of my mind... I've been hoping you would return... I was afraid I would never see you again."

"Well, I'm here now," said Link. "And I'll be back tomorrow, I promise you." With that, Link gave Zelda another tight squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. Then he went on his way, with Zelda just standing there watching him walk away.

Well, that was it. Link really did feel the same way she did. Zelda could feel all the sorrows of the past few months fade away; Link was back, and he admitted he had feelings for her....

"Eh, what's that?" Zelda thought aloud, noticing something on the ground that gave off a metallic glint in the darkness. Zelda walked over to it and bent down to get a better look. It was still hard to make out, but it looked like some sort of.... mask. "Oh, one of Link's masks!" she said to no one in particular. Evidently, it must have fallen out of Link's bag when he tripped.

Zelda picked it up and examined it closely. It had a long, stretched-out shape to it, and the face on the mask looked really strange. It was vaguely reminiscent of the face on an Ironknuckle's helmet. "Hmmm, I wonder what this mask does," Zelda thought aloud. Curiosity got the better of her. She quickly looked around her, trying to make sure no one was watching, then she put the mask on.

Nothing. Not a thing happened. Zelda didn't feel any different. Sighing, she took the mask off. She had been hoping that this was one of those special masks Link had told her about in his story.

Zelda let out a deep yawn. It had been a long day, and Zelda was now dead tired and needed to get to sleep. Still holding Link's mask, she turned to walk back to the castle....

And she tripped over the same metal rods that Link had moments before, making her too fall flat on her face. This also made her accidently drop the mask, and it landed hard into an open pot of metaldissolve, smashing it and splattering its contents everywhere.

"Oh, by the goddesses, I'm such a klutz!" shouted Zelda as she picked herself up. She walked over to the mask and the shattered pot of metaldissolve. The silvery liquid had gotten all over the place, and the mask was covered in the stuff. "So much for Link's mask," she said sheepishly, picking it up and trying to dry it off with a rag that had been lying around. "Oh well, it's not like it actually DID anything."

And so, Zelda started walking back toward the castle, holding the metaldissolve-soaked mask at her side. As she walked, she didn't notice the mask was giving off an odd glow....

* * *

Eventually, she was back in the castle as was heading for her room. But she stopped when she heard Impa's voice calling out to her. "I assume everything went well."

Zelda turned to face her. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. I mean about you and Link. I knew you must've run out to talk to him again. I'm a Sheikah, remember? You can't get anything past me," said Impa, smiling.

"Hey, I'm not a little girl anymore," snapped Zelda indignantly. "You don't need to...."

"Oh please, I'm not THAT overprotective anymore," retorted Impa, cutting her off. "And besides, there's nothing to protect you from. You and Link are perfect together." Then she added with a sly smile, "You two are so cute together."

"Stop it!" shouted Zelda, her cheeks now getting hot.

"Oh, I can hear the wedding bells already," said Impa, turning away and humming a little tune to herself.

Zelda just sighed and continued walking toward her room. Impa could be so pesky sometimes.

Finally, Zelda made it to her room. She didn't even bother changing out of her dress; she just collapsed onto her bed. As for the mask, she just threw it across the room, then she fell asleep.

As she was sleeping, though, the mask she had thrown aside began glow even brighter. But all of a sudden, the glow dimmed, and deep cracks began to form in the mask. Obviously, the metaldissolve had had some effect on it. And from out of those cracks, a white, pulsating light shone through. Soon, what looked like a white, glowing liquid seeped out of the cracks. Tendrils of energy shot out everywhere from the mass as its power pulsated. It was like a parasite in search of a host.

And soon, it found one, in Princess Zelda.

* * *

The following morning, Zelda was slowly awakened by a combination of the sunlight filtering into her bedroom and the singing of the birds perched all around the castle's towers and walls. _Hmmm, I wonder if Link is back yet,_ she thought to herself.

Then Zelda suddenly felt as if something was just.... wrong. She couldn't put her finger on it, though. She sat up in her bed....

And her head hit something hard.

"OWW!" she shrieked loudly, rubbing her aching head. "W-what the.... What'd my head hit?" she said, looking up. All she saw was the ceiling only inches away from her face. "W-what's happening? H-how did the ceiling get lower?"

She took a good look around her. Something DEFINITELY wasn't right. Her room looked exactly the same, yet everything seemed.... smaller. It was as if she woke up in a scaled-down version of her bedroom. She then looked down at the bed she woke up on. It, too, was only half the size it should have been; it was little more to her than a seat cushion now, and she could feel it beginning to buckle under her weight now that she was sitting up.

Either everything around her had shrunk, or somehow she had doubled in size overnight. As impossible as it seemed, it looked as if the latter had just happened.

Zelda's mind was blank. This sort of thing was impossible, and yet, it had happened to her. She couldn't contain her frustration. "WHA-WHAT THE...."

* * *

Zelda said that last word so loudly, she scared away every single bird perched on the castle....

And they weren't the only ones to hear her super-loud outburst. Down in the market town, her echoing yell caught everyone's attention and they turned their heads toward the castle....

And in Kakariko village, everyone heard it too. So did all the Gorons up on Death Mountain, where it resounded throughout the interiors of Goron City....

And so did everyone in the Kokiri Forest, except for one certain Hylian who was still sleeping....

And all the Zoras in Zora Hall heard it too....

And so did all the Gerudos in their canyon hideout....

And her yell was heard as far away as Lake Hylia....

And her loud shout also reached the ears of everyone at Lon Lon Ranch. Leaning out a window, Talon said, "What in tarnation?! That was the loudest profanity I've ever heard!"

* * *

Impa raced towards Zelda's bedroom, having heard her impossibly loud scream. She had never heard anyone scream so loudly before; it had been so loud, it was almost inhuman.

At last she had reached the door to Zelda's room. She drew her dagger and rushed inside, prepared for anything that she might find.

Except for the sight that greeted her a second later. Sitting in the middle of her room was Princess Zelda, only somehow she had doubled in size. "Oh my," was all Impa could say.

"I-Impa...." she muttered softly, huge tears streaming down her cheeks. "I think we have a problem."

* * *

That's it for the second chapter. Ended it with a big teaser, huh? Well, stick around!

So long,  
Grey  



	3. A Big Problem

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 3: A Big Problem  
6-21-2004  
by Grey

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

Panic-stricken, Saria ran through the Kokiri Village. She could sense that something was wrong, that something had just happened to Princess Zelda. All the Sages shared a sort of bond that let them all know when something happens to one of their number. Saria had no way of knowing exactly what it was, but the sense of fear, confusion and utter shock was unmistakable. Something was wrong at the castle, and someone had to go find out what it was right away.

So she headed for Link's house, where Link was still sleeping. He had decided to spend the night there, for old time's sake. It was quite a shock for Saria when he had finally returned home after so many months, and the other Kokiri were shocked as well when he told them just who he was. Mido didn't even believe it at first.

Saria hurriedly climbed the ladder leading up to Link's house and ran inside. There he was, still asleep in his bed. Only thing was, he had grown so much that it wasn't big enough for him anymore. He was essentially sleeping in a uncomfortable-looking sitting position. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Saria couldn't help but to smile.

"Link, wake up!" she cried repeatedly, and she saw his eyes slowly flutter open.

"Oh, hey Saria," he said lazily. Then he noticed Saria's worried look. "What's wrong?"

"Something at the castle, that's what," replied Saria, getting straight to the point.

That got Link's attention. His eyes were wide-open with worry and he stood up, asking, "What?! What do you mean?!"

"I'm saying that something bad just happened to Zelda; I sensed it through the bond we share as Sages," explained Saria.

The mention of something happening to Zelda really got to Link, and it showed. "Do you know what?"

Saria shook her head, saying, "Only that I sensed a overpowering twinge of fear from Zelda - other than that, I don't know anything. That's why I woke you up, because I'm sure you...."

But Link wasn't really even listening anymore. He had already taken out the Ocarina of Time and began playing the melody that would transport him to the Temple of Time. He had vanished in a swirl of glittering light before Saria had finished that last sentence.

Saria looked around the empty house. "She really does mean a lot to him," she muttered to herself in a sorrowful tone, trying to fight back feelings of envy. She had suspected it all along, but it didn't make it any less painful.

* * *

For a while, silence lingered in the room. Impa just stared in disbelief at Zelda. This was impossible, incomprehensible - by the Godesses, people don't just spontaneously grow overnight! But here she was, sitting in the middle of her room, at least twice her normal size, not to mention her clothes somehow grew with her too.

Impa eventually managed to find her voice and finally say something. "P-Princess, is that you?"

Zelda, still crying, simply nodded.

"Wha-what happened to you?" Impa asked.

Zelda shook her head violently. "I-I don't know," she managed to get out in between choked sobs. "I-I just woke up like this!"

Impa continued looking at Zelda, still not entirely believing what her eyes were telling her. Eventually, Zelda spoke up again. "I-Impa, I-I'm scared! I... I don't know what to do!" Then she started crying again. This was just too much. For a while, it looked like she was getting her life back together; peace was restored to Hyrule, and Link had finally returned. But now, somehow she had become giant-sized overnight! _I can't live like this!_ she thought to herself, looking down at her body. _I-I'm a freak! And everyone will be afraid of me!_

Zelda heard Impa walking toward her. She turned her head to look at her, and Impa reached out to wipe away the tears from her face. Zelda couldn't help but to think about how small Impa looked to her now. All her life, she had thought of Impa as one of the toughest people she had ever known, but now she looked so tiny and frail....

"Hush, Princess," Impa said softly, still wiping away Zelda's tears. "Don't let yourself drown in despair. We'll find a way to undo whatever's happened to you, I swear it." Impa's words made Zelda feel a little better; she could always rely on Impa, no matter what. Zelda wanted to hug her, but she was afraid she would accidently break her in half if she tried.

For a while, silence lingered again. Then another sound broke it: an odd sound, similar to the rotating fan blades in the Shadow Temple. "What's that...." Zelda began to say, but before she could finish her sentence, something came flying through the window. A tiny Deku scrub (tiny especially from Zelda's point of view) holding flowers in both hands, which were rotating like propeller blades.

"Who are you?! Why are you here?!" demanded Impa, drawing her dagger again as the scrub discarded his flowers and touched down onto the floor. The scrub ignored Impa and turned to look at Zelda. His sad, little amber eyes comically bugged out at the sight of her, almost popping out of his head.

Impa started to advance on the intruder, but Zelda, as gently as she could, reached out with her hand and grabbed her, pulling her back. "Impa, don't," Zelda told her, then turned her attention to the Deku scrub. "Link, that's you isn't it?"

The scrub reached up to his face, and then its form changed to that of Link holding a mask of a Deku scrub's face. "Yeah," Link said weakly, still staring at Zelda. Of all the things he had been expecting, THIS certainly wasn't one of them.

Zelda looked down again, feeling tears well up again. Link was the last person she wanted to see her like this. What if he thought she was a freak? Would he leave her, after just admitting he had feelings for her last night? 

"Saria said she sensed something was wrong, but didn't know what," Link said, trying to accept what his eyes were telling him. "Zelda, what's happened to you?!"

Zelda couldn't speak; she buried her face in her hands and started crying again. Impa answered him instead. "She has no idea. She said she woke up to find herself like this."

"This is nuts," said Link, shaking his head. "Zelda, please, you have to think. SOMETHING must have happened last night."

If Zelda heard him, she didn't show it. She continued crying uncontrollably. The sight of her crying like that made Link's heart sink. He walked up to Zelda and, with some effort, pulled Zelda's hands away from her face so that they were looking into each other's eyes. "Zelda, please, don't cry. It kills me when I see you cry."

Zelda stared at him. By the Goddesses, he looked so small too! She was sitting down, and still he was barely at eye level with her! Where before he looked so tough and powerful, now he looked so small and delicate to her. If she could have stood up, he'd barely come up to her waist! Still, she wanted to hug him, to hold him close to her, but as with Impa, she was afraid she'd accidently kill him.

"Zelda, don't cry," Link repeated. "I-I'm here now. I'll do whatever I can to help you. I'm here for you." Zelda sniffled again, but now she was fighting back the tears. "Zelda, please, I know it must be hard to think right now, but...."

"But nothing unusual happened last night," said Zelda, anticipating Link's question. "After I saw you off in the market town, I came straight back here. Nothing happened, except...."

"Except what?" asked Link, a small glimmer of hope in his voice.

"I found one of your old masks in the town; I figured you dropped it," replied Zelda. "But that couldn't be it. It didn't DO anything!"

"Uh-oh," was all Link said.

"What?" asked Impa impatiently.

"I think I may know what's happened," said Link darkly. "Zelda, where's the mask now?"

"I threw it over there," said Zelda, pointing over to the far side of her room. Link ran over to where she had indicated, and picked up the melted, mutilated remains of a metallic mask.

"Uh, Zelda, what did you do to it?" asked Link.

"I tripped and it fell in a pot of metaldissolve. But I didn't think it was a big deal, since I tried it on and nothing happened," explained Zelda, still fighting back tears. "Why, what.... what mask IS that anyway?"

"The Giant's Mask," was all Link said.

Zelda stared at him, agape. Impa spoke up, asking, "So, I guess it's just like the name implies?"

"Yeah," replied Link. "It makes the wearer giant-sized. But it only worked once, and only in one place. I never thought that...." He examined the mask, and spoke up again. "My best guess is that the magic somehow leaked out and into Zelda."

"H-How do we undo it?" asked Zelda desperately, but she knew what Link's answer would be even before he opened his mouth again.

"I'm sorry Zelda, I have no idea," he answered her glumly, his head hanging in defeat.

"Well, I guess we'll have to get help from someone else, then," said Impa. "Maybe that crazy doctor who lives by Lake Hylia. I'll go fetch him, and tell everyone else in the castle NOT to come in here while I'm at it." She gave Zelda a reassuring look, then she left the room.

"D-do you think that doctor can h-help me?" asked Zelda through choked gasps, trying desperately not to cry for Link. He had asked her to be strong, for him.

Link shrugged his shoulders. "It's worth a try," he said, taking another good look at Zelda. The room looked terribly small with her sitting in the middle of it. She had grown so much, her head almost touched the ceiling, and the only way she would be able to get around was by crawling, since the room was so cramped for her now. And though he wasn't afraid of her, he had to admit she looked VERY intimidating. She could easily dwarf the bulldog-like Moblins that once prowled the Sacred Meadow, the Ironknuckles that guarded the Spirit Temple.... and by the Goddesses, she was probably strong enough now to tear them apart too! And she looked so heavy! Link guessed she weighed about half a ton; it was a miracle she didn't cause the floor underneath her to collapse!

Zelda noticed Link was staring at her. "Link, don't," she told him in a sad voice.

"Don't what?" asked Link, confused.

"Don't stare at me like that," she replied. "Like I'm some sort of sideshow freak." She looked down at herself again, noticing again how everything around her looked so small compared to her. "This... I can't live like this. I feel like I've become some ugly monster."

"Zelda, NO!" shouted Link vehemently. This jarred Zelda and made her look up at him again. Link was walking toward her, saying, "Zelda, don't think things like that! You're not a monster, and you're not a freak."

Link was standing beside her now. He reached down and took her huge hand into his, softly rubbing the top of her hand with his thumbs. Looking up at her, he said, "You're not ugly. You still look the same, like the beautiful princess I came back for. You-You're just bigger, that's all, a-and I'm sure we'll find a way to return you to normal."

"What if we can't?" said Zelda panickingly. "What if I'm stuck like this forever?!"

"Doesn't mean I'd love you any less," said Link, bending down to kiss her hand.

Despite her depression, Zelda felt her spirits rise (and her cheeks blush) , and couldn't supress a smile. She had been afraid Link would think her a monster, but now she saw those fears were groundless; Link would stay by her side, no matter what. 

Zelda reached out and placed her hand behind Link, meaning to pull him closer to her. But she stopped herself, and Link noticed something was amiss. "Zelda, what's wrong?" he asked her.

"N-nothing," stuttered Zelda, but the look in Link's eyes told her that he didn't believe it. Sighing, Zelda said, "Well, I want to... hold you close, but I'm afraid I'll kill you."

Then Link did something Zelda didn't expect: he laughed out loud. "Please, Zelda, I'm a bit more durable than that!" he cried jokingly. After all I've been through, I'm sure a little hug from you won't hurt," he said with a smile.

Zelda's heart leapt again from Link's encouragement. She reached out for him again and gently pulled him as close as she could to her, and then she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. At first, Zelda was afraid she was hurting him, but instead of a yelp of pain, Link just let out a soft moan, and he too wrapped his arms around Zelda. Still, Zelda had to ask, "Link, I-I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"What? No, no, not at all," was Link's reply. "Actually, it feels nice." Zelda chuckled, scooting backwards and leaning against the wall, still holding Link tightly. She may have just gone through a bizarre transformation - becoming bigger, stronger, and heavier than any other living human - but at least she could still enjoy the good things in her life, such as holding Link close to her. She looked down at him. He looked so adorable there, snuggled up against her giant body....

"Link," she said softly, snapping Link out of his relaxed state and causing him to look up lazily into her eyes. "Last night, when you kissed me.... w-was that the first time you ever.... kissed a girl?"

Link looked shocked by this question at first, but after a while he muttered, "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Oh no reason," said Zelda, smiling. "Just that you're a REALLY good kisser." She leaned down a little. "Can-can I kiss you again?"

"Uh, sure," said Link, and then he noticed Zelda leaning down, bringing her face closer to his. Soon her lips touched his, and Link felt Zelda's hand against the back of his head, pressing him closer to her. Then she started kissing him again - light little pecks at first, but soon her kiss became more forceful. She began to pry open his lips with her tongue like before, forcing her way into his mouth. This wasn't anything like before, now that her tongue was bigger. It was indescribable. Link felt completely overpowered, being kissed by this gigantic woman and held so tightly by her.

But he felt overpowered in a GOOD way.

Neither Link nor Zelda knew how long the kiss lasted. It only ended when Zelda broke away and looked down at Link with a sheepish expression on her face. "Link, I-I didn't get, um, carried away, did I?" she asked him.

Link laughed again. It was rather amusing, being held by this gigantic, powerful woman, and yet she was constantly worried she was hurting him. "Zelda, you worry too much," he told her, bringing up a hand to her face and rubbing her cheek gently. "I know you won't get carried away, and that you won't hurt me. I trust you, I know you better than that." Then he leaned up and gave her a quick peck on her lips. Link could see Zelda's cheeks turning red, then she leaned down to kiss him again.

And so, for the next hour or so, Link and Zelda spent the entire time in each other's embrace - or to be more specific, Link spent the entire time in ZELDA'S embrace. Something they hugged, other times they kissed, but Link stayed with Zelda, never leaving her side. Thanks to him, Zelda despairing thoughts lifted, and she almost forgot that anything was wrong with her, now that Link was there to comfort her.

It was only when they heard approaching voices right outside the door did they turn their attention away from one another. One was Impa's, and Link recognized the other as the Lake Hylia scientist's.

"Honestly, was it necessary to drag me here like this, without even telling me the nature of the problem?" came the scientist drawling voice from behind the door.

"You'll see soon enough," said Impa, and then the door opened.

"But I cannot imagine, if it's not life-threatening, why I must...." continued the researcher, but then he turned and spotted the giant-sized Zelda and fell silent for a moment. "Oh, I see."

"Now do you understand why I said this must be kept secret, why she couldn't go to Lake Hylia?" spat Impa, clearly losing her patience with the old man.

"Completely," he said, but then he shook his head. "But I doubt I can be of any help. I mainly deal with potions and herbal medicines, and dabble in marine biology. I've never encountered anything like this," said the researcher, staring curiously at Zelda.

"But you'll try, won't you?" asked Zelda softly, embarrassed about someone else seeing her in her giant state.

"Of course of course," he replied, waddling over to Zelda. "Hmmm, please Princess, let me see your hand." 

Zelda held out her hand, letting him examine it and take her pulse. Meanwhile, Impa walked up to Zelda as well. "So, you two lovebirds enjoy the time alone?" she asked with a smile.

"Shut up," snapped both Link and Zelda.

The scientist ignored the little argument, and asked, "Now Princess, please back away from the wall a bit." Zelda did as she was asked, and the scientist grabbed a chair and walked up behind Zelda. Standing on the chair, he leaned his ear against Zelda's back, and for a moment listened to her breathing and heartbeat. Eventually, he got down and walked in front of Zelda again.

"I'm sorry, but there's not much I can determine. As impossible as it seems, you indeed have doubled in size, and your body as functioning normally from what I can tell," explained the researcher.

"I know that already, what's your point?" spat Zelda, irritated that he had not told her anything she didn't already know.

"My point is that it's scientifically impossible for your body to be functioning normally at a size like that. You should have trouble breathing, circulation problems, stuff like that.... but you're as healthy as any of us, which makes this even more mysterious. And again, I know of nothing that would cause someone to grow like this, to increase in size and yet stay prefectly in proportion. What exactly do you think caused this anyway?"

Link picked up what was once the Giant's Mask and showed it to him. "This. It's supposed to make the wearer giant-sized, but stuff got on it that dissolved the metal, and we guess the magic seeped out into Zelda," Link explained.

"Hmm, yes, I see," said the scientist, taking the remains of the mask from Link. "I've never heard of anything like that. I'll have to return to my lab.... perhaps I can find some information in my library.... perhaps contact some friends outside of Hyrule, see if they know anything." He turned to face Zelda. "My apologies Princess. I wish I could have been more helpful, but I promise you I'll give this job top priority." Then he left, leaving Zelda alone with Impa and Link again.

"Oh that went well," said Zelda sarcastically.

"It was worth a try," said Impa. "And besides, he may find something," she said as she headed for the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" demanded Link.

"To the kitchens. I need to have the cooks prepare something for Zelda to eat." She caught Zelda's worried look out the corner of her eye. "Don't worry Princess, I won't tell anyone anything. I'll simply tell the cooks to prepare enough food for three people," she said reassuringly.

And about ten minutes later, Impa returned with a cart that had enough food for FOUR people. At first Zelda felt a little guilty about how all this food was meant for her, but she hadn't eaten anything for quite a while and was hungry. She gobbled down the food ravenously, not bothering with proper etiquette since her hands were too big to use utensils. And soon, she had eaten all of it. She was surprised how quickly she went through it all; enough food for four meals, and she had devoured it all in mere minutes!

As Zelda sat back and let her food sit, she looked around at her room, which was way too small for her now. "I can't stay here," she thought out loud. "It's way too cramped now, and someone else will come in and see me sooner or later. Probably panic and run screaming about a giant," she said sourly.

"There's plenty of other places in Hyrule you could stay until a cure for your giantism is found," said Link. "Maybe one of the temples...."

Impa shook her head. "I doubt it. Sure, the temples are big enough, but still wouldn't be the best places for her to stay right now. The Fire Temple is way too hot, the Water Temple's always flooded , the Shadow Temple has invisible, sharp objects all over the place...."

"What about the Forest Temple?" said Link brightly. "Deep in the Lost Woods, and the only one who really goes there is Saria to check up on it. And she already knows something happened to Zelda, and I'm sure she'll let Zelda stay there. And with all the plants growing inside, there'd be plenty for Zelda to eat."

Zelda took a moment to think about what Link said. "I.... guess it's a good as place as any," she said. "But are you sure Saria wouldn't mind having a house guest?"

"Sure I'm sure!" cried Link, obviously shocked that Zelda would ask such a thing. "I grew up with her; she's one of the nicest people I've ever known! I can't think of a reason she wouldn't let you stay in her temple."

"I can," said Impa quietly.

"Huh? What are you talking about Impa?" asked Zelda, clearly curious.

"Nothing," said Impa quickly.

"No point in staying here then," said Link. But then he looked around, and realized it might not be that easy. "Uh, how are we going to get Zelda out of here?" he asked sheepishly.

"I think I can take care of that," said Zelda, smiling. She grabbed Link and pulled him toward her again. Then she concentrated and uses Farore's Wind. Within seconds, both she and Link had vanished from the room.

"Didn't even bother to say goodbye," Impa said to no one in particular. "Probably too anxious to be alone again," she added coyly.

* * *

OK, that's all for now. I was thinking about writing some more, but decided it'd be better if I used it for the next chapter. Don't wanna give away too much just yet! :P

So long,  
Grey  



	4. Rude Awakenings

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 4: Rude Awakenings  
7-8-2004  
by Grey

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

Link trudged along aimlessly through the Lost Woods, not really sure where he was headed and not really caring. It had been many hours since Zelda had magically transported them to the Forest Temple. As Link had expected, Saria had no problems with Zelda staying in her temple, since it would hardly interfere with her duties as a Sage. Link had no idea why Impa would think Saria would say otherwise; as expected, she was taken aback when she saw what had happened to Zelda, but Saria had been as friendly and cheerful as ever.

But Link wasn't really thinking about that anymore. Instead, he was trying to figure out what to do for Zelda, but he couldn't think of any way to reverse the effects of the Giant's Mask. After arriving at the Forest Temple, Zelda had asked to be left alone for a while, so Link used that time to try and think of something. But it had been hours, and his mind was still blank.

He also couldn't stop thinking that he was to blame for Zelda's troubles. _This is all my fault,_ he thought dejectedly. _I should've gotten rid of the damn thing long ago. And I should've noticed I lost it last night. This is just so typical - Hyrule was doing fine before, but then I show up again and something like this happens, and...._

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard the sound of rustling leaves and creaking branches above him. Link jumped back and took out his sword and shield, anticipating a monster attack.

Link sensed something drop down behind him. Before he could turn around, he heard someone speak to him in a squeaky, childlike voice: "You should put those away before you hurt someone."

Link immediately recognized the voice. He turned around to see none other than the Skull Kid; the very same Skull Kid that had been enslaved by Majora's Mask many years ago. "Oh, hello there," said Link, putting away his shield and sword.

"And hello to you too, fairy boy," said the Skull Kid cheerfully. "Then again, you're not exactly a boy anymore, are you? I saw you a few months ago, but didn't recognize you. Sorry about that."

"Forget it," said Link quickly, remembering how the Skull Kid's kind don't exactly like grown-up humans and turned on him before. "Hey, where's Tatl and Tael?"

"Oh, they've been gone for a while now," replied the Skull Kid, a hint of sorrow in his voice. "But it's OK. I moved back here with my own kind, so I'm not lonely."

"Well, that's good to know," said Link. Of all the people he thought he'd run into again upon his return, the Skull Kid sure wasn't one of them. He had completely forgotten that when he travelled to the future, the Skull Kid was still in the Lost Woods.

"But enough about me, let's talk about you," said the Skull Kid. "Do any of that 'saving the world' stuff you do lately?"

"Well no, not really. Not unless you count how my time-travelling self beat Ganondorf a few months ago." Link stopped when he saw the Skull Kid staring at him curiously. "Never mind, it'd take too long to explain," he said quickly. "Actually, I've got a different sort of problem right now anyway."

"Like what, exactly?" asked the Skull Kid.

Link was about to explain Zelda's predicament to the Skull Kid, but quickly stopped himself when he remembered that she didn't want anyone else to know. "Sorry, I promised I'd keep it a secret. Let's just say that a friend of mine is going through some rough times."

The Skull Kid pondered this for a moment, but then spoke up again. "You'll stay by your friend, won't you?" he inquired. "You won't abandon your friend, right?"

"Of course not!" shouted Link indignantly. "Why would you ask that?"

"Because it's important for friends to stand by each other, that's why," said the Skull Kid. "I know that better than anyone. The only reason I'm here now is because my friends didn't give up on me. Don't give give up on your friend. Be seeing you!" With that the Skull Kid leapt up high into the trees overshadowing the Lost Woods. But still, Link could hear his voice echoing from above. "You found a way to help me! I'm sure you'll find a way to help your friend!"

"Hmph. Easy for him to say," Link muttered to himself. This problem wasn't like any other he had ever faced. This wasn't like awakening the Sages or freeing the Four Giants. There was no definitive enemy he had to fight, like Ganondorf or Majora's Mask. He hadn't the faintest clue of what to do for Zelda.

"Zelda...." he said softly. The Skull Kid had been right about one thing: he should stay with Zelda, be there for her, even if he couldn't think of anything he could do to help her. Letting out a sigh of frustration, he turned and headed back to the Sacred Forest Meadow.

Upon reaching the Sacred Forest Meadow, it didn't take too long to make it through the mazelike passageways. Especially since there were no Moblins or Deku Babas or Octoroks or anything. Saria and the Deku Tree Sprout had done a good job of keeping the forest relatively monster-free.

Soon enough, Link was in the Forest Temple once again, looking around the huge room with the elevator that led down to the bottom floor. It was then that he realized he had no idea exactly where in the temple Zelda was staying. "Looks like I'll have to hunt for her," Link thought aloud.

But amazingly, he found her right away. He first tried the door far directly across from the door he entered the elevator room from. After going through the hallway that was now devoid of any ghostly Blue Bubbles, he went into the room in which before he had to fight two Stalfoses for a key. But this time, there was only a giant Princess Zelda standing in the room. Link couldn't help but feel intimidated again; this was the first time he had seen her standing up since the accident - she was almost twice as tall as he was. Now that she was standing at her full height, her presence was downright imposing, looming over him.

Zelda's back was turned to Link when he entered the room, but the sound of the door opening and closing immediately alerted her to his presence, and she turned to face him. "Oh, hello Link. I was wondering when you'd come." Her voice resounded loudly in Link's ears; he wasn't sure whether it was because of her size or if her words were echoing throughout the room, or both.

Link immediately noticed that Zelda wasn't wearing her usual dress anymore; instead, she was wearing what looked like a white nightshirt, composed of cotton sheets hastily sewn together. It hardly had any sleeves, and the hem of her shirt barely came down to her knees. Also, he couldn't help thinking that her new garment looked rather thin, and that he could almost see.... _Ack! Get your head out of the gutter!_ he angrily thought to himself. Out loud, he said, "Uh, Zelda, what's with...."

"Oh, this?" she said, looking down at herself. "Impa made it for me, so I'd have something else to wear besides my dress. She also made me a sleeping bag and pillow too. Goddesses bless her, always looking out for me." She looked down at herself again. "But I have to admit, she's not the best seamstress."

"It looks good," said Link all too truthfully, all the while trying to keep himself from thinking dirty thoughts. "So, uh, Zelda, how...."

"Have I been?" Zelda finished for him. "Well, to be truthful, miserable. I said I wanted time alone, but the minute you left I regretted it. I wanted to go look for you, but I was afraid someone else would see me."

"Well, I'm here now," said Link reassuringly.

"And I couldn't be happier," said Zelda cheerfully. She got down on her knees, so that she and Link were at eye level, and outstretched her arms invitingly. "So come on, let me hold you again."

Link nervously hesitated at first, his cheeks getting hot upon remembering how thin her nightshirt looked. But then he looked into her eyes, and found that he couldn't resist that pleading look of hers. So he ran over and Zelda scooped him up, holding his head close to hers and nuzzling his cheek with hers. "Oh Link, I love you so much."

"I love you too," murmured Link, savoring the warmth and softness of Zelda's embrace.

Eventually, Zelda let go of Link. To pass the time, Zelda asked Link to tell her about his adventures again, especially his adventures in Termina. Link obliged, telling her in greater detail about what had happened there all those years ago. But this time, Link left out the part about the climactic battle in the Stone Tower Temple. He reasoned that she didn't need to be reminded about the Giant's Mask and her situation.

The two of them killed several hours this way, and by the time Link had finished his tales, it was well into the night, and Link could see Zelda was getting tired. "Maybe you should go to sleep now, Zelda. It's been a rough day," he said to her.

"Tell me about it," said Zelda somberly. "But I don't know if I can sleep after all that's happened today."

"Just lie down. I can help with that," replied Link imploringly. Zelda did as he asked, getting into Impa's makeshift sleeping bag, which was made up of thick quilts sewn together. Once she had gotten herself tucked in, Link pulled out the Ocarina of Time and played her the lullabye tune. The music echoed throughout the room, and soon it lulled Zelda into a deep sleep.

"Impa was right, works every time," said Link, smiling. He walked over to Zelda, and couldn't help but think that she looked so calm and peaceful sleeping. And that she was so beautiful, no matter how big she was. He bent down and leaned closer to her. "I won't leave your side, Zelda. I'll stay with you, I promise," me whispered softly into her ear. He then got back up and leaned against the wall, watching over her while she slept.

* * *

Just like with the morning before, Zelda found herself awakened by sunlight striking her face. That, along with the fresh foresty scent of the Lost Woods. Still half-asleep, Zelda stirred, and.... _Wait a minute...._ thought Zelda suddenly. _How's sunlight getting in here? And how come I can smell the forest outside?_

Zelda opened her eyes, only to be greeted by the sight of the brightly-lit morning sky. _Huh?! How did I get outside?!_ She sat up and looked down around her, and noticed that she was sitting on what looked like a big pile of rubble. Not only that, but the trees all around her looked way too small.

_Wha-what happened?_ Zelda thought to herself panickingly, although she felt she already had a very good idea. From the looks of it, she had grown overnight again, to an absolutely enormous size. She grew so big, she busted right out of the Forest Temple, reducing it to rubble. "Oh no.... OH NO!!!"

A smaller set of screams from down below punctuated her own. Zelda quickly looked down, and saw that the entire Kokiri tribe, sans Saria, were near what remained of the Forest Temple. All their faces were twisted in fear, and when they noticed that Zelda had spotted them, they screamed again before they turned and ran.

Almost instinctively, Zelda stood up. She wanted to call out to them, to tell them that there was nothing to fear from her. She took a step forward, and felt something snap underneath her bare foot, as well as a warm, sticky feeling.

"Eh?" said Zelda curiously, lifting her foot. In the spot where she had put her foot down was the shape of a man, with red liquid splattered all around him. He looked like he had been wearing the Kokiri's trademark green clothing, but he was obviously a grown-up, and was carrying a shield and sword.

Zelda knew there was no mistaking what had just happened: she had just stepped on Link, and killed him instantly. "Oh no no, Goddesses, please.... NO!!!!! **NO!!!!!!**"

* * *

Zelda sat up in her bed breathing heavily, tears running down her cheeks and her body drenched in nervous sweat. She quickly looked around her - everything was the way it had been before she went to sleep; she was still deep in the Forest Temple and, unfortunately, still twice her normal size. _Just a dream,_ she thought to herself reassuringly. _Just a bad dream...._

"Zelda?!" came Link's concerned outcry. Zelda looked beside her, seeing Link standing there, a worried look on his face. "What's wrong?! What happened?!"

Zelda eyed him up and down. He was perfectly fine; he hadn't been crushed to death under her foot. Feelings of gratefulness and relief swelled up in her, and she couldn't resist reaching out and pulling him toward her, hugging him tightly. "Oh Link, you're all right, you're all right," she muttered over and over.

"Ack... Zelda... keep it up... and I won't be...." gasped Link in a strained voice. This time, Zelda was squeezing him so tightly that it REALLY hurt; Link felt as if his head was going to pop clean off his shoulders.

"Oh, Link, I'm so sorry!" cried Zelda, releasing her powerful hold on Link. Link backed away slightly, taking in a few much needed breaths.

"Oh geez, Zelda, what's wrong? What's happened?" asked Link again. Zelda didn't answer. She just let out a big sniffle, and tears poured down her cheeks again. "Please Zelda, you must've just had a bad dream, that's all. Maybe you'll feel better if you tell someone about it."

Zelda considered this for a moment, then said," I-It was horrible. I grew even bigger than this, right out of the temple! All the Kokiri saw me and were deathly afraid of me, a-and then...." Zelda stopped, unable to continue.

"And then what?" asked Link, but Zelda didn't answer. "Please Zelda, it's OK, just tell me."

With eyes full of tears, Zelda finsihed. "And then.... I-I stepped on you... I killed you!"

"Oh," was all Link could say.

"Um, Link," Zelda began, unsure of how to ask what was on her mind. "The Giant's Mask, um, just HOW big is it supposed to make someone?" Link took a step back out of surprise, as he clearly did not want to answer her. "Link, please, just tell me, how big? Bigger than this?"

"Yes," was all Link managed to get out.

"How big?" asked Zelda again.

Link really didn't want to tell her, but found that it was impossible to lie to the girl he loved. Hanging his head, he said, "A lot bigger."

Zelda fell silent for a moment, looking down at herself. "I've become a danger to everyone," she muttered in a sad voice. "If I get any bigger than this.... I'm liable to hurt a lot people just by accident, or even kill someone.... It's just like before...."

"Just like before?" Link repeated in a confused voice. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember what I told you after you sealed Ganondorf?" asked Zelda sternly. "All that was my fault. I tried to keep the Triforce from him, and instead ended up practically handing it to him. So many suffered because of my mistakes, and now...." She looked down at herself again. "If I'm not careful, I could hurt more people. I almost hurt you badly just now."

"Zelda, I need to tell you something," said Link, walking back over to Zelda and putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "If anyone's to blame for Ganondorf's rise to power, it's me. Who's the one who unlocked the Door of Time with the spiritual stones? Who's the one who pulled out the Master Sword? Me, that's who. And who was too stupid to check to see if anyone was tailing him? Again, me. I got too careless and led Ganondorf right to the Triforce; he even said so himself."

Zelda thought about what Link was saying, but didn't entirely believe it. "Yeah, but I gave you the Ocarina of Time, and sent you to get the other two stones. If I hadn't done that...."

"Zelda, please, we need to stop dwelling on the past like this," said Link, trying to lift her spirits. "And as for right now, well, I trust you Zelda. I know you won't hurt anyone, or me. And if you do end up growing again, I don't care. I don't care how big you get, I'll stay with you just the same." He leaned over and kissed her on her tear-drenched cheek. Zelda was at a complete loss for words. Here was this man who would stay by her no matter what happened. She had been truly blessed by the Goddesses to have a good friend like him by her side. "And Zelda, I know you probably don't want to, but I think you should try and get some more sleep. You barely slept an hour."

"But-but, I couldn't stand it if I had another nightmare like that, and...." Zelda's boice trailed off, having just realized something. "Link, have you been staying here the whole time while I slept?"

Link look surprised by her question. "Well, yeah," he answered. "I told you I'd stay by your side, and I did. I wanted to make sure nothing happened to you."

"Like what?" asked Zelda. "We're in the sacred temple of a Sage."

"Yeah, but it's not 100% monster proof," said Link. "If anything got in and attacked you while I wasn't around, I'd never forgive myself."

Zelda chuckled. "Ever the noble one, eh Link?" She looked at him again, and suddenly an idea popped in her head. "Actually, I can think of a way you might be able to keep me from having nightmares...."

"Uh, what's that?" asked Link, confused.

Instead of replying, Zelda opened up her sleeping bag and patted the area right beside her. "Right now, I don't need a hero. I need my friend," she told him. "Or to be more specific, my boyfriend," she added with a sly smile. Once Link grasped the meaning of what Zelda meant, it hit him like the megaton hammer; his body jerked nervously and he fell backwards. "What's wrong Link? I thought you said you wanted to be at my side?"

"Yeah, well, er, uh," Link spluttered, unsure of what to say. "Um, do you think we're, uh, really at that, um, stage yet? Y'know, to be sleeping in the, er, same bed?"

"Why not? I don't see any problem," said Zelda.

"Well, um, I don't exactly, uh, trust myself in the same bed with you," said Link nervously.

Zelda said nothing. Instead, she got out of her sleeping bag and stood up, smiling down at Link. "Honestly, right now, do you think you could force me to do anything?" she said teasingly.

Link looked up into her eyes, once again thinking about how powerful and intimidating she looked standing up at her full height. "It's not really that, but, uh, I don't trust myself to not think, uh, y'know, thoughts I shouldn't be thinking," he said, his voice still betraying his nervousness.

Zelda giggled again. "Like I said, ever the noble one. Well, looks like you'll need some...." She bent down a little, smiling threatenigly. " With that, she reached down and grabbed Link, pinning his arms to his sides. She effortlessly lifted him up off the floor and brought his face up to yours. Then she gave him another crushing, overpowering kiss.

When Zelda broke the kiss, she saw Link staring at her with a half-dazed look. "Like that, huh?" she asked teasingly. Link only nodded. "Well, then I guess you'll have no problems cuddling up with me." Before Link could make any kind of protest, she walked back over to her sleeping bag and laid down flat on her back. She then set Link on top of her and hugged him tightly.

Despite himself, Link found himself reveling in the sensation of being held so close and so tightly by Zelda. He was starting to get used to being hugged and squeezed so tightly by Zelda; in fact, he found he was really starting to enjoy it a lot. He couldn't explain why, but he was starting to like the feeling of being held so tightly and securely in her arms. Not only that, but Link began to feel Zelda's body heat envelope him, and it was a most pleasant feeling as well. And in addition to that, Link could hear and feel Zelda's steady heartbeat, as well as her breathing, her chest slowly rising and falling. All these things were beginning to lull Link in a deep, contented sleep. He would have fallen asleep soon enough, had Zelda not spoken up at one point.

"My breasts make nice pillows, don't they?" he heard her ask.

This snapped Link out of his sleepy state. Zelda's question made him well aware of where she had rested his head, not to mention how thin her makeshift nightshirt really was. Link let out a nervous yelp as he sat up. He was now sitting on Zelda's midsection, and she was still lying down, but with her head propped up looking up at him. "What's wrong? I thoughts guys liked big breasts," she said coyly, still smiling that teasing smile of hers. And of course, this did nothing to alleviate Link's nervousness; Zelda's querying made him blush a violent shade of red.

"I uh, I uh," Link spluttered, unsure of how to respond to Zelda's joking questions. Zelda, however, was simply eating it all up. To her, Link's shyness and nervousness were his most charming attributes. She could tell he wanted to get close, but was too shy and felt as if it'd be improper for him to be so close to her.

She also noticed how much Link was blushing, and it gave her an idea - or more specifically, an excuse. "Say, you look a little hot," she said in that joking voice of hers. "Maybe you should take some of that stuff off." Once again, before Link could do anything to stop her, Zelda reached out and grabbed him.

"What... HEY!!" Link cried out in protest, but Zelda ignored him. She proceeded to remove his shield, scabbard and bomb and supply bags. Nervous, Link squirmed around trying to break free, but he couldn't fend off Zelda's big, strong hands. Next she took off his green tunic, boots and gloves, leaving him in his white undershirt and leggings. "Ack, Zelda! Isn't this a bit much?!" he cried, now extremely embarrassed.

Still ignoring him, she reached out and took off his hat, and petted his head with her huge hand. "You have nice hair," she said, stroking his hair gently with her huge fingers. Link just sighed in defeat, deciding it was best to let Zelda have her way. Besides, there wasn't much he could do in the way of stopping her.

Zelda eyed him up and down, and smiled broadly. "There, that's better," she said as she reached up to grab him again. This time, she set him down next to her, with one arm slung around him, holding him close to her. With her other arm, she pulled the sleeping bag covers tightly around them, as if wrapping the two of them up in a cocoon. "This is nice, isn't it?" she asked Link, who was still blushing and still had a nervous look on his face. "Just the two of us, held so close to each other...."

"Um, I guess so," Link said timidly. But he had to admit that he was enjoying this a lot, and was feeling that tired contentedness creeping over him again.

"Link, I must confess something," Zelda said lazily, squeezing him again. "Often, when I think of you, it's not of the handsome hero that saved Hyrule, but of the little boy that snuck into my garden that fateful day. That day, I couldn't help but think how cute and lovable you looked. And now, now that you look so small to me, I can't help but think of that adorable little boy again."

Link reflected on Zelda's words. Indeed, being in Zelda's presence right now and being held by her like this was even making him FEEL like a little kid again. But instead of resenting it, he found he didn't mind one bit.

Zelda's gentle yet strong embrace, her loving words and caresses, and the softness and warmth of her body were lulling him to sleep again. And before he drifted off, one thought went through his mind: after all the times he had to rise to the occassion and be the unconquerable hero and protect everyone, it sure felt nice to surrender to the loving embrace of someone so strong and feel protected himself.

* * *

All was quiet that night as the Hyrule trade caravan slowly went through the northern mountain passes. These freshly carved-out canyons and pathways north of Kakariko Village were quite useful, as Hyrule was sort of landlocked and travelling to lands outside of Hyrule was very difficult, so these new pathways were very welcome.

But had they known what lurked within those new mountain passes, the people in the caravan would have thought otherwise.

And even though the moon was almost full, they never saw what was coming.

In the span of less than two minutes, everyone in the caravan was dead.

* * *

That's all for now. Sorry it took so long to update. I got sidetracked for a while by finally playing, of all things, Zelda: The Wind Waker. Oh well, stick around for chapter 5.

So long,  
Grey


	5. The Remainder

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 5: The Remainder  
8-23-2004  
by Grey

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

Link's eyes slowly fluttered open as he let out a loud yawn. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept so peacefully and comfortably. As his vision slowly came into focus, the most likely reason why could be seen right in front of him.

There was Zelda, laying down next to him, still sleeping soundly. She still had one arm lazily wrapped around Link, holding him close. And Link was still so close that Zelda's long, flowing locks of golden-blond hair were tickling his face, and he could feel gusts of air as she breathed in and out. Link also noticed that she was smiling, and that her eyes were moving rapidly underneath her closed eyelids. Link knew that meant she was dreaming. He briefly wondered if she could be possibly dreaming of... him.

For a while, Link simply laid awake in Zelda's sleeping bag, admiring her impossibly beautiful face and basking in the comfortable warmth of Zelda's body. Too warm, in fact; even with only his undershirt and leggings on, he was beginning to feel sweaty.

At length, though, Link decided it would be best for him to get up. He tried to get out of the sleeping bag, but found himself held securely in place by Zelda's arm. _Heh, guess she really doesn't want me to go, if even in her sleep she's hanging on to me,_ Link thought to himself coyly. He carefully reached around to remove her hand, but as he was doing so, Zelda suddenly rolled over, right onto Link.

"What the... WHUMPH!!" Link exclaimed as Zelda rolled over onto him. _GAAHHH! She's even heavier than she looks!!_ he though dejectedly as Zelda's oppressive weight pressed down against him painfully. Fortunately, Link was still able to move his arms. Positioning them so that he'd have enough leverage, he pushed upward with all his strength in an attempt to get Zelda off of him. Luckily for him, it worked, and Zelda's body rolled back into its previous position. And she was still sleeping peacefully, unaware that she had just put her boyfriend through a world of hurt.

"Ouch, that hurt," Link said to no one in particular. He stood up and flexed his body, trying to fight off the numbness and pain. He stared down at the sleeping princess again, and thought, _I hope we can find a cure for her soon. I sure don't wanna go through that again!_

"Oh, how I wish I had brought a pictograph. That was priceless," came a voice from behind him. Link instinctively reached for his sword and shield, but then he remembered how Zelda had removed them last night. But despite his grogginess, he recognized soon enough who's voice it was.

"Good morning to you too, Impa," he said brusquely as he turned around to face the snickering Shiekah. Needless to say, he was quite embarassed about Impa having seen him in that situation.

"And I see you've decided to dress lightly too," continued Impa in a teasing, yet slightly disapproving, tone.

Link realized just what she was talking about. "Hey, Zelda took off my tunic, not me!!" he cried defensively.

"SHHH!!!" hissed Impa quickly, putting a finger to her mouth. "You'll wake Zelda up."

"Huh, what's wrong with that?" asked Link. "And why are you here anyway?"

"Something I don't want Zelda to know about," replied Impa in a whisper. "Something terrible has happened, and I have a feeling I'll need your help."

"What is it? And why do you want to keep it from Zelda so badly?" asked Link.

"Because she's got enough problems on her mind right now, and I don't want to add to her worries. Look, I'll fill you in after we've left," said Impa. She then took out a roll of parchment, unrolled it, and set it beside Zelda. "I'll leave this not for her, saying that you were needed elsewhere. It only partly the truth, and I hate deceiving her like this, but given her situation, I think it's for the best."

Link only nodded, not liking the idea of lying to Zelda either. But right now, he was more concerned about whatever had spooked Impa. Something really bad must've happened if she thought she'd need his help so badly.

And so, without any further questions, Link got dressed, geared up and followed Impa out of the Forest Temple, uncertain of what to expect....

* * *

"And so, that the situation. Something's happened near Kakariko Village, and Impa's asked me to go there for a while and look over the place," explained Saria to her fellow Kokiri. She had gathered them all together to let them know she would be leaving the forest for a while. Even though the power of a Sage let her safely leave the forest, she rarely ventured outward, feeling duty-bound as guardian of the forest and unofficial leader of the Kokiri (a position that had been levied on her because of her status as a Sage) . But on occasions like this, it was something she had to do.

"What exactly happened out there?" asked one of the girl Kokiri.

"Yeah, and why do you have to go? Why couldn't Impa have asked one of the other Sages?" asked one of the boy Kokiri.

"Look, I'm not at liberty to discuss it, OK? And I don't know why Impa has asked me," said Saria, answering their questions. Although Saria had a hunch why Impa asked her; because Impa had had to come here to fetch Link anyway. It was a simple matter of expedience.

_But I'm no warrior,_ Saria thought to herself. _Nabooru or Darunia would've been better choices, in case whoever was responsible comes to the village._ But Saria forced down those doubtful thoughts; a fellow Sage had asked her for her help, and she was obligated to give it.

"Listen, I really need to get going. I should be back by sundown," she told her people. "Oh, and just a reminder: NO ONE is to go into the Forest Temple under ANY circumstances. Until I say so, the temple is still off-limits. Got that?" All the Kokiri reluctantly nodded in approval. Satisfied, Saria turned and exited the Kokiri Village, heading for Hyrule Field.

"I'm tellin' ya, somethin' is up," said one of the Kokiri once Saria had left. All the other Kokiri turned to see who had spoken up. It was Mido.

"What are you talking about?" asked of the girl Kokiri.

"That something really stinks," came Mido's angry reply. "Just think about it... it all started yesterday. First, we hear stories about how Princess Zelda is sick and left the castle. Next, Saria tells us the Forest Temple is off-limits. And now, something's happened around Kakariko Village. I'm tellin' you all that somethin' really fishy is goin' on around here!"

"Well, maybe you're right," said the female Kokiri again. "But there's really nothing we can do."

"So we just sit by and do nothing?!" exclaimed Mido.

"We can't go to Kakariko Village. Saria's the only one who can leave this forest safely."

"But we can still check out what's in the Forest Temple. There's something wrong about it, I can tell," replied Mido.

"NO WAY!!!" shot back the Kokiri girl. "Saria must have had a good reason for telling us not to go in there. And besides, if something is wrong, the Sages should be able to fix it, especially now that Link's back...."

"Oh yeah, him," said Mido dejectly.

"You don't still hate him, do you?!" snapped one of the Kokiri boys.

"What?! NO!!" shouted Mido defensively. "I spent over seven years regretting what I did to him!"

"You didn't seem thrilled when he showed up the other day. You couldn't even believe it was actually him."

"Because I still thought he was one of us! How were we supposed to know he was a Hylian all along?! None of you recognized him either!" shouted Mido.

"Look Mido, the rest of us have stuff we need to do," spat the Kokiri girl who had been arguing with him before. "If you want to go to the temple, go right ahead. Just don't expect any of us to come with you."

And with that, the Kokiri went off to attend their daily routines. All except Mido, who just stood there, thinking about what to do next.

* * *

After leaving the Forest Temple, Limk had followed Impa in silence. First, they had worked their way through the Lost Woods to the shortcut to the Goron City. They quickly left the city after that and headed down the Death Mountain Trail. Once they came to the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern, however, Impa held up her hand, signalling for Link to stop.

"Huh, why are we stopping here?" asked Link, clearly confused.

"Our destination lies through there," replied Impa. "Now listen carefully. As you know, Ganondorf had designs to conquer the whole world, not just Hyrule. To do that, he would have needed ways to move his armies quickly outside of Hyrule. One such means was having mountain pathways dug in these northern mountains as one easy route out of Hyrule. Through these caverns is that path."

"OK, yeah, I can understand that," said Link. "But I still don't see what..."

"Ever since you and Zelda beat Ganondorf, the people of Hyrule have been using those paths as trade routes instead," Impa said, cutting him off. "Since Hyrule is sort of landlocked, we've been taking advantage of them.

"But a trade caravan was supposed to make it back last night, and it didn't show up. Someone went to look for them, and came back saying.... they were all dead."

"All dead?!" repeated Link. "But how?"

"The man came back hysterical, saying they all had been sliced apart," explained Impa. "And I have a bad feeling about this, and since you're back, I thought it would be best to have you check it out. I hate to ask this of you so soon after coming home, but..."

"Don't be," said Link. "If there's trouble, I'm not gonna sit by and do nothing. C'mon, let's go."

And so, the two entered Dodongo's Cavern. Link looked around, wondering just where the tunnels and pathways Ganondorf's minions had dug were located. Impa's voice snapped him out of his thoughts when she asked, "So, I forgot to ask, how is the Princess?"

"Huh, oh, she's as good as can be expected, given the circumstances," Link answered uneasily. "But she's afraid she'll hurt people on accident because of her size and strength."

"I see," said Impa. "Once this mystery is solved, we can focus on her dilemma. OK, we're out of here."

Link, who had simply been following Impa and hadn't really been paying attention, suddenly realized that he could see daylight. "OK, this must be it, since I don't remember this exit being here last time," said Link as his eyes adjusted to the light. "So, this leads to the mountain route Hyrule's been using. How much further until... well..."

"The man said that it was very near the northern exit of Dodongo's Cavern," replied Impa.

Minutes later, Link could see the faint outline of a wagon. "OK, I guess that's it," he said, taking out his Great Fairy Sword and Mirror Shield and running up to the abondoned wagon. Sure enough, all around were dead bodies that had obviously been stabbed and slashed several times. Even the horse had been mutilated. "Ugh," muttered Link as he surveyed the horrific scene. "You were right to call on me for this, Impa. This has trouble written all over it."

"I'll say," said Impa morbidly. "One things for sure: these wounds were not caused by any wild animal or beast. Cuts like this had to have been caused by some sort of blade."

"And I think I know what kind," said Link as he reached down to pick up something. It was a glaive - the same type of weapon used by most of the Gerudo women.

"Oh no. Could the Gerudo have been behind this?!" exclaimed Impa, not wanting to believe it.

"I don't think so. The Gerudo tribe is a bit on the amoral side, sure, but they're not bloodthristy. They're not like Ganondorf was," said Link. "Attacking under the cover of night is their MO, but they wouldn't kill like this."

"How do you know all this?" asked Impa dubiously.

Link just shrugged and said, "Because, officially, I've been accepted as one of them."

"So, are you saying that someone tried to frame the Gerudo to throw us off the track?" asked Impa.

"Probably. The Gerudo would make perfect fall guys, being thieves and all." Link paused to get a better look around the caravan. "Hmm, I wonder..." he muttered to himself as he fished out the Lens of Truth. "I once heard that the Lens of Truth could be used to pick up faint traces of footprints, even after they've been cleared away." Looking through the lens, he indeed did find traces of cleared-away footprints, and they were in the shape of....

"Oh no, this is not good!" cried Link, instantly recognizing the shape of the footprints.

"What is it now?!" shouted a frustrated Impa.

"I think these are Moblin footprints," said Link solemnly.

"You... you mean, bits of Ganondorf's army are still around?!" stammered Impa.

"Uh-huh," muttered Link gravely. "Looks like after months of lying low, they've decided to come out and cause trouble again."

"Oh, what a lovely way to start the morning," said Impa sarcastically.

"Look Impa, I'm going to look into this further. I'll follow the footprints and see if I can find where they're hiding. They lead away from Dodongo's Cavern, so I'd say the rest of Hyrule is OK for now. You head back and...."

"No," said Impa, cutting him off. "I won't allow you to do this alone. We have no idea how much of Ganondorf's forces remain, and even you are not invincible."

"Look Impa, I appreciate your concern," said Link in a frustrated tone, "but I've faced these creatures before and know how to handle them. And I pulled it off on my own...."

"You fought alone because you had to," snapped Impa, cutting him off again. "This time you don't have to, and it would be foolish to not accept a little backup."

Link looked into Impa's eyes, and saw that there's was no way she was going to be dissuaded. "Fine, let's go," said Link. Then he added, "Y'know, now I can see where Zelda got her stubbornness and determination from."

"Zelda," muttered Impa sadly. "Hopefully, we can get back to her before she suspects anything...."

* * *

Princess Zelda slowly sat up in her sleeping bag, letting out a violent yawn. She felt refreshed and rejuvenated, and it surprised her that she slept so well considering what she was going through. Zelda realized she owed it to Link, and how he had spent the whole night with her. In fact, she had had no more mightmares, only pleasant dreams involving her beloved Link.

_Link..._ she thought dreamily as she looked down, expecting to find him still lying there. But he wasn't in her sleeping bag anymore. Zelda looked around the room, but Link was nowhere to be seen. "Huh? Link, where are you?"

Then she saw something odd out the corner of her eye, something lying on the sleeping bag where Link should have been. She looked down and saw what looked like a rolled-up piece of parchment. Curious, she picked it up and unraveled it. Zelda saw that it was clearly Impa's handwriting, but it looked very small to her and she had to squint to make it out. Dear Princess,  
A situation has come up in which Link's assistance was necessary. A trade caravan due back in Kakariko Village did not arrive last night, and I thought Link, with his skills, could help speed up the search. Please don't worry, as I'm sure Link will be able to take care of it.

Impa

Zelda just stared at the letter for a minute. _A missing trade caravan?_ thought Zelda, her curiosity aroused. _Well, I'm sure Link will be able to get to the bottom of it, but why was it necessary to get him? It doesn't sound that serious. Maybe there's more than Impa is letting on...._

But Zelda quickly dismissed that thought. _No. Impa wouldn't keep things from me like that._

Tossing the letter aside, Zelda laid back down in her sleeping bag. She hadn't even been awake for five minutes and she was already feeling lonely, longing for Link to return. _I'm sure Impa had a good reason to ask for Link's help,_ she thought to herself as she tried to relax. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly, horribly wrong....

* * *

Link and Impa silently walked through the narrow, artifically-dug gorge for almost an hour, but so far, they hadn't found anything. No signs of bloodthristy monsters or anything.

"This is ridiculous," spat Impa. "We should have found something by now."

"I know," answered Link, clearly disappointed. By now, the Lens of Truth wasn't picking up traces of footprints anymore, making his task all the more difficult. "But we've come too far to go back empty-handed...."

Link stopped suddenly. Something didn't feel right. It almost felt as if he and Impa were being watched. After having saved the world twice, Link had come to develop instincts about certain things, and his instincts were almost always on the money.

And this time was no exception.

Link could hear the approaching sound of something running along the mountainous surface, and then making a leap down into the gorge. But Link was ready. Putting away his sword and shield and taking out his bow, he looked upward and shot off a powered-up ice arrow, hitting the approaching creature dead-on and freezing it solid. A second later it crashed onto the ground and shattered to pieces, but Link caught a glimpse of it before it did. He could easily make out its shape: it was a Lizalfos.

Link then heard even more Lizalfoses approaching their position from all sides. "Heads up Impa! We got company!" cried Link as he took out his shield and sword again. A Lizalfos landed a few feet in front of him, and then it lunged with its blade. Link easily backflipped out of harm's way, and then retaliated with a jumping slash, knocking out the Lizalfos with one hit.

He could hear two more approaching from behind, so he held out his sword and let it build up magic power. Once he could sense that they had gotten close enough, he cut loose with his trademark charge spin attack, knocking both of them back a good distance. Before they could recover, Link rushed toward the closer one and, with one broad slash of his Great Fairy Sword, sliced it in half. Link turned around to face the last one, which was eyeing him nervously.

With a mischievious grin on his face, Link reached into his bomb bag with his right hand and pulled out a lit bomb. "Here, hold this," he said mockingly as he tossed the explosive at the Lizalfos, who instinctively caught it. Before it realized its idiotic mistake, the bomb went off, knocking it back into the canyon wall. Link then ran forward and impaled it with his sword, finishing it off for good.

Link looked around to see if there were any more monsters, but all he saw was Impa several feet away, who had just sunk her dagger into a Lizalfos's skull. And near her was the dead body of another Lizalfos, who had been finished off in the same manner. "Finally, some indication we're on the right track!" she cried as the monster slumped lifelessly to the ground.

"I'll say," said Link. "We must be getting close to their hideout if they sent out monsters to ambush us in this gorge."

"And maybe I was wrong, Link. You seem to be able to handle things on your own. Good to see you haven't lost your touch," said Impa with a smile.

"Yeah, well, some things you just never forget how to do, and fighting's one of them," replied Link. "Anyway, let's keep...."

He was cut off by a low rumbling sound. Link and Impa turned back in the direction they had come from to see two Moblins charging toward them, spears at the ready. "Looks like we're not done here," spat Link as he readied him for another battle.

It turned out to be an unnecessary gesture. Link and Impa saw the Moblin on the left get hit in the head by a large rock thrown from behind. They could hear a sickening crack as the rock impacted its head, and the Moblin keeled over, clearly dead. The other Moblin stopped suddenly to look down at its fallen comrade, then looked behind him. A second later, Link and Impa saw the Moblin fall flat on its back, with what looked like a scimitar embedded in its face.

"What the?!" cried both Link and Impa, wondering what the hell had just happened. A few seconds later, they could see two figured approaching them. It was Darunia and Nabooru.

"Huh? What're you two doing here?" asked a confused Link, walking up to the two Sages.

"What, you expected me to miss out on this?!" asked Darunia jovially. "A potential for a grand battle, and you didn't even tell me about it! What kind of a sworn brother are you?!" he added scornfully.

"As for me, I aim to make these slimeballs pay," spoke up Nabooru, reaching down to retrieve her bloodied scimitar from the Moblin's head. "I saw what happened back there. They slaughtered those merchants in cold blood, then tried to pin the blame on my people! I promise you, I won't let them get away with it!"

Link looked over Nabooru and Darunia, and could see they were clearly as devoted to stamping out the remnants of Ganondorf's as he was. "All right then, let's get moving," he told his new companions, and the four continued on their way through the gorge.

* * *

For over an hour, Zelda had simply laid in her sleeping bag, staring up at the ceiling. She had been trying to relax, but it was no use. Without Link's comforting presence, the gravity of her situation was getting to her. What's more, she couldn't stop thinking about the situation of the missing caravan, no matter how hard she tried. She simply couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong and Impa wasn't telling her.

_Ack, I can't just stay here in bed all day,_ Zelda thought to herself. _I should at least get up, look around, do SOMETHING._

And so, Zelda slowly got up out of her sleeping bag, then took off her nightshirt and got back in her royal dress. Then she headed for the door, which was the room's only exit. Zelda bent down and opened it, then began to squeeze her way through. _This is ridiculous... can't even fit through a door without wedging my way through,_ she thought angrily. _I feel like some lumbering orgress._

Eventually, Zelda made it out to one of the temple's outdoor garden areas. She had to admit that the architecture looked quite beautiful. Saria sure was lucky; most of the other temples looked downright foreboding and gloomy, but her temple was practically a work of art.

Bending down, she looked at her reflection in the water of the small stream flowing through the courtyard. _At least the mask's power didn't charge the way I look,_ thought Zelda. _Guess I should be thankful for that. Still, I hope someone finds a way to cure me soon. I can't stand being this big._

Just then, Zelda heard something burst forth from the ground behind her. She quickly stood up and looked over her shoulder to find that a Big Deku Baba had sprung up directly behind her. To a normal-sized person, it would have looked big, but to Zelda it looked like a normal Deku Baba.

The killer flower arched it head back and prepared to lurch forward and bite Zelda. But Zelda, acting on instinct, spun around, reaching out and grabbing the plant's stem. The strength of her grip caused the stem to snap as if it had been merely a twig, and its head fell to the ground, the life ebbing out of it.

For a moment, Zelda just stared at her handiwork. Big Deku Baba stems could not be considered brittle, yet she had broken one in half with her bare hand. Even a Goron would have a tough time doing that. _By the Goddesses, just how strong am I?!_ she thought morosely. She didn't take any pleasure at all in having such strength and power; it only served to depress her even more.

* * *

Mido had spent almost two hours trying to decide whether or not to investigate the Forest Temple, but in the end, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Something's wrong, I just know it," he muttered to himself as he climbed the rope ladder left by the temple's entrance. But to Mido, this was more than finding out what was going on in the temple: it was also proving to himself he could be as brave as Link.

_It still tears at me how I couldn't do anything to help Saria, how no one could help her until he came along,_ he thought to himself as he entered the temple. _I don't hate him or anything, but.... ack, we can't always rely on him when something goes wrong. If something funny is going on here, I need to know._

But so far, nothing looked amiss. He passed through the front courtyard and the adjoining hallway with no trouble; no monsters, no traps, nothing. And it was the same when Mido stepped into the temple's main chamber. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

"So far, so good," thought Mido aloud. "Guess I'll have to look around to see what's up."

Opening the door at the northeast corner, he walked through the hallway that led to the northeast courtyard. Mido walked around the courtyard and took a good look, searching for anything out of the ordinary. But nothing seemed out of place here either. "Hmmm, nothing down on the first floor seems funny. Maybe it's something on the upper levels," he muttered.

However, Mido decided to check out the northwest courtyard before heading to the upper levels. As he entered the courtyard, all looked well at first. But as he looked around, he finally noticed something that shouldn't have been there: a blonde-haired woman in a pink dress was kneeling by the stream, apparently looking at her reflection in the water.

_Is that... the princess?_ She did look an awful lot like how Saria had always described her. _But Saria said she was sick! What's she doing here?_

As Mido inched forward for a closer look, he noticed something didn't look right. Was it him, or did she look a little bigger than a normal Hylian woman was supposed to be? Mido shook his head violently, then rubbed his eyes, but when he looked at her again, it still looked as if she was bigger than a normal Hylian.

Then, all of a sudden, a Deku Baba came out of the ground, right behind Zelda. _No, wait, that's one of the BIG Deku Babas, I'm sure of it!! But, it looks so tiny comapred to her..._ It was now clear that Zelda was indeed way bigger than she was supposed to be. _So she didn't get sick, she became a giant, and was hiding out here! But how the hell did she...._

Mido didn't get a chance to finish his thought before Zelda lashed out and snapped the stem of the Deku Baba as if it were a twig. And Mido knew very well about how durable the stems of Big Deku Babas were. _Oh Goddesses... I've gotta get out of here!!_ he thought panickly as he slowly backed up.

Mido then heard a twig snap under his foot. Zelda suddenly turned in his direction, spotting him. _Uh-oh,_ thought Mido morbidly as he turned and ran. _OK, now that I know what's goin' on here, I think it's time for me to leave!_ he thought as he dashed through the hallway and back into the main room. As he ran, he turned to look behind him to make sure she wasn't following him. _Good, she's not following. Then again, she couldn't really fit through the.... OWWWW!!!!_

Since he was looking behind him, he couldn't see where he was going, and ended up slamming into something painfully solid and fell down. Mido opened his eyes and looked up, only to see a VERY tall princess looking down at him.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!" he screamed as he crawled backward, trying to put as much distance between him and the giantess as possible. "Pl-please, d-don't hurt me..." he stuttered, scared out of his mind.

Zelda slowly took a step forward. "Listen, I'm not going to hurt you. Please, don't be afraid," she said softly, trying to calm the frightened Kokiri down.

"W-Wha, w-what are...." stuttered Mido, trying to think coherently. "A-are you the p-p-princess?" Zelda simply nodded. "W-w-what happened to you?!!"

Zelda turned her gaze away for a moment. "Long story," she said quickly. "Let's just say I'm stuck like this, and Saria let me hide here until someone can help me." She then turned to look at Mido again, and saw his facial expression was still one of terror. "Look, there's no reason to be afraid of me. I know I must look really scary, but you have to believe me when I say I don't want to hurt anyone."

Her words seemed to assauge Mido's fears a little, but he still looked like he expected Zelda to attack at any second. "C-Can, can I go?" he asked nervously as he stood up.

"Only if you promise not to tell anyone about me," replied Zelda, squatting down to get a better look at him.

"Don't worry. I don't think anyone would believe me anyway!" cried Mido. HIs words, however, had an unexpected effect; Zelda bent her head down, and started to cry.

"Huh? Did I say something wrong?" asked Mido, perplexed.

Zelda lifted her head to look at him again. "No, it's just that, well, I've been afraid of how other people will think of me. That they'd be afraid of me and think of me as a freak. It was painful when I saw how scared you were. That's why I've been hiding."

This made Mido feel extremely guilty. "Oh, I-I'm sorry. I-It's just that I was, um, surprised, that's all," said Mido reassuringly, trying to sound braver than he actually felt.

"Think nothing of it. Your reaction was understandable," said Zelda quickly. "By the way, I didn't catch your name."

"Huh? Oh, it's Mido."

"Mido, huh? I've heard Saria mention you before. Well, Mido, can I ask you something?"

"W-what is it?" asked Mido, still a little nervous.

"It's been rather lonely here. You can go if you want, but, could you possibly stay a while? I could use the company."

Mido was silent for a moment. Being around Zelda was still making him skittish, but he was beginning to trust her. "Well, I guess," he said despite himself, and saw Zelda smile happily. _No wonder Link went to such lengths to save her,_ he couldn't help but think as he looked into her large, blue eyes.

* * *

Link wasn't quite sure how much time had passed after Darunia and Nabooru had joined him and Impa. Judging from how the sun was almost directly overhead though, he guessed it was around noon.

The path they were walking on had shifted from a narrow gorge to a more wide open area with multiple paths. The four of them had gone down several of these paths searching for any more of Ganondorf's monsters, but so far there was no sign of them.

"Hey Link, I'm glad to hear you saw through their trickery right away," spoke up Nabooru suddenly. "It's good to see how right my fellow Gerudo were in accepting you as one of us."

"Uh, thanks," said Link.

"And you should come visit us in our hideout sometime. We've redesigned our training grounds, with even more challenging obstacles and traps. You'd get quite a workout."

"Don't get your hopes up, Nabooru. He'd probably rather spend time with the princess!" jeered Darunia. "I saw how thrilled she was to see him the day he returned!"

"Really? You and the princess?" asked Nabooru curiously. Link just kept facing forward, hoping that that way they wouldn't notice he was blushing.

"You better believe it. They make such a cute couple too, said Impa.

"OH, and how is the princess?" asked Darunia. "I've heard rumors floating around that she's fallen ill. She seemed fine that night I was at the castle."

"I've heard those rumors too. What's the deal, Link?" asked Nabooru.

Link stopped in his tracks. He looked over to Impa for support, but she only stared silently back at him. Turning to face Nabooru and Darunia, he simply said, "That's, uh, classified information."

"Huh? Come on, brother, we won't tell anyone anything!" protested Darunia. "We're Sages, you can trust us!"

"This is not a matter of trust," said Impa. "This is simply...."

Impa's voice suddenly trailed off, and she looked nervously around her. Link could sense something was wrong too, as the hairs on the back of his neck pricked up.

Then he saw it: speeding towards them was the blurred outline of a Wizzrobe, the breed of spellcaster he had faced several times in Termina. Link sheathed his sword and with his left hand pulled out his hookshot, so that way he could hit the spellcaster from a distance and deflect its magic with his shield if need be.

But the Wizzrobe then did something Link never saw its brethren in Termina do. It leapt up high into the air, and as Link looked up, he was blinded by the sun and lost sight of the Wizzrobe. Then he heard what sounded like a crack of thunder.

White-hot pain seared throughout his body, causing him to drop his hookshot and shield and slump to the ground. Before his vision faded, he could see his three companions fall unconscious as well.

* * *

"AUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

All of a sudden, Zelda felt her entire body explode with extreme pain. It felt as if she had just been struck by lightning. She fell to the floor, her body unceremoniously sprawled out.

Then came something else: she could faintly see the outlines of three people. Zelda instantly recognized them as Impa, Nabooru and Darunia. And they were all writhing in extreme pain as she was.

"Zelda? ZELDA!!"

Zelda could hear Mido's voice ringing in her ears. Using her arms to push herself up, she looked up to see Mido in front of her, a concerned look on his face. "Zelda, what happened?!" he asked worriedly.

"I-I don't know," she stammered, breathing heavily because of the pain. "I was fine, and then it felt I was being electrocuted, and then...."

Then it hit her: she had just sensed what some of her fellow Sages had just gone through. "Oh no, Darunia, Nabooru and Impa! I sensed their pain through the bond we share as Sages! They're in trouble!!"

"Impa's in trouble?!" asked Mido incredulously, who looks as if something had just dawned on him.

"Huh? Mido, I get the feeling you know something I don't," said Zelda in a strained voice.

"Zelda, I think we have a problem," said Mido seriously. "This morning, Impa asked Saria to look over Kakariko Village. She said something bad had happened, and she wanted Saria to stay there while she checked it out. I think Link went with her too."

"Impa left a note saying a trade caravan went missing, but..."

"From the way Saria was talking to us, I'd say whatever happened was more serious than that," said Mido. "Look, I've had a bad feeling all day. That's why I was so obsessed with coming here, because I thought whatever was wrong was in the temple. But it looks like we've got problems elesewhere."

Zelda considered what Mido was saying. She too had had a bad feeling about something ever since she had read Impa's note. Clearly, whatever happened near Kakariko Village was more serious than Impa cared to admit. And now, THREE Sages were in trouble... and possibly Link as well!

And Zelda had a feeling if something was to be done, it was up to her.

"Mido, head back to your village. I'm going to find out what's going on," she told the Kokiri boy as she stood up. Concentrating, she used the magic of Farore's Wind to teleport herself out of the Forest Temple.

* * *

Sorry I let this hang for over a month. I've been busy with a new job and I've been having some computer trouble. Hopefully I can get the next chapter done quicker.

So long,  
Grey


	6. When Princesses Attack

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 6: When Princesses Attack  
9-18-2004  
by Grey

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

With her head aching, Saria wandered around Kakariko Village aimlessly, trying to decide what to do next. But it was hard to think with the way her head was throbbing in pain. That last vision she just had was simply the worst she had ever experienced: THREE Sages cut down in an instant, and she had felt everything they had.

But the thing that was frustrating her now was how she had no idea what she should do next. She was no fighter, and if something had just taken out three Sages AND Link at the same time, what chance did she have? And Ruto wasn't much of a fighter either. Maybe Raura could do something, but outside the Temple of Time his power wasn't much use.

_Wait a minute,_ thought Saria, realizing something. _Maybe Zelda could do something. As she is, I doubt there's nothing she couldn't handle. But..._

A loud 'PSST!' snapped Saria out of her thoughts. She looked around, realizing she had wandered near the town entrance leading to Hyrule Field. Then she heard another 'PSST!', and realized it was coming from the entrance's gate. When she turned in its direction, she saw Zelda looking through the gate, obviously in a squatting position, and gesturing her to come to her. _Of course! She must have felt it too!_ thought Saria as she ran toward the princess.

Zelda had an extremely apprehnsive look on her face, and constantly looked behind her to make sure no one was coming up the mountain path. She was taking a big risk coming out into the open, but right now, she had little choice. 

Once Saria reached the gate, Zelda said, "You must've felt it too." Saria simply nodded, unable to think of anything to say. "Listen Saria, it's time you told me what's really going on."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Saria, but she already had a good idea what Zelda was referring to.

"About what happened here," said Zelda. "Impa left a note saying that a caravan was missing, but now it's obvious that...."

"Shhh! Not so loud!" hissed Saria, her hands covering her ears. "My head is killing me, and your voice is deafening!"

"Sorry," said Zelda quickly, "but you need to tell me what's really happened. From what Mido said...."

"MIDO?!!" shrieked Saria, outraged. "Oooh, I should've known that little idiot wouldn't have listened! When I get back he's gonna get it good...."

"Uh, Saria?"

"This time he's gone too far!" she went on, completely ignoring Zelda. "I know, I'll 'accidently' slip up and let a bunch of Deku Babas sprout in the Lost Woods, and make him go get rid of them!"

"Look Saria, I..."

"Or I'll invite some of the Gorons over, and then have them do their dreaded 'Goron Hug'," continued Saria, still tuning Zelda out. "That'll teach Mido to...."

"Saria!" snapped Zelda, trying to get Saria's attention. It worked; Saria's hands flew to her ears again and she fell down. "Sorry Saria, but you will please deal with Mido some other time? I still need to know what's happened here."

"OK OK!!" snapped Saria, picking herself up off the ground. "The caravan isn't missing; it's still right outside the new northern exit of Dodongo's Cavern. It was attacked."

"Attacked?!" cried Zelda. "By who?"

"We don't know. All I heard was that everyone in the caravan was dead, and Impa and Link went to investigate," replied Saria.

Zelda looked down, frustration and anger welling up inside her. Impa had deliberately misled her about what had happened. Impa clearly must have not wanted her to be burdened by another tragedy, but as a princess, this sort of thing was her responsibility! 

"Saria, please stay here in case anything else happens," spoke up Zelda in a strained voice. "I'm going to...."

Zelda was cut off by a chorus of terrified screams from behind her. She peered behind her to see several Hylians had come up the mountain path, and all of them were staring directly at her, wide-eyed with horror and confusion. She simply stared back, unsure about what to do now that she had been spotted.

_Oh great, my secret's out,_ thought Zelda bitterly. _But I'll have to worry about that later._ Calling upon her magic energy, she uses Farore's Wind once again to teleport herself. This time, her destination was the northern exit of Dodongo's Cavern.

_I know these trade routes, I've been down them myself more than once,_ Zelda thought to herself as she began walking down the path. _All these months there's been no trouble. What could have..._

It wasn't long before Zelda came to the remains of the caravan, and saw the dead bodies of all those who had been in it. As she surveyed the horrific sight, it didn't take her long to come to the same conclusion Link had: someone had tried to set up the Gerudo.

But that knowledge didn't comfort the princess in the least. She fell to her knees and covered her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. Several of her people had just been slaughtered in cold-blood, and it weighed heavily on her heart.

Eventually, though, Zelda rose, and took off down the mountain trench. Whereas before she had been overcome with sorrow, now she was filled with rage. "I swear, with the Goddesses as my witness, that I will find whoever did this and make them pay!!"

* * *

"Hey, I think he's waking up," Link heard someone say. The Hero of Time slowly opened his eyes, his head throbbing and his entire body aching. The last thing he could remember was exploring the mountain trenches with Impa, Darunia and Nabooru, and suddenly a Wizzrobe showed up, and... "Hey, Link, you awake yet?!" he heard Darunia shout. 

Darunia's loud voice made Link's head hurt even more. "Agghh, not so loud... my head is killing me..." he said weakly. As his vision slowly came into focus, he could make out Impa and Darunia. Both of them appeared to be against a wall, their arms and legs fastened to the wall with shackles and chains, and the ones holding Darunia looked extra-strong. 

Link slowly looked around him. To his right, Nabooru was chained up in the same manner, but she was still unconscious, and Link could now feel iron shackles around his own wrists and ankles as well. And they all appeared to be imprisoned in a small alcove, with iron bars blocking the way out. "Ugh, where are we?" Link asked, but he had a pretty good idea where they were.

"We're in their mountain hideout. Apparently, when we got too close, they sent out that creature to attack us," said Impa. "We've found out a few things though, for whatever good is does us."

"Like what?" asked Link curiously.

"We overheard a lot of stuff," replied Impa. "Namely, how that attack on the caravan was done just to lure you out here."

"Lure me out here?!" repeated Link.

"Yeah, these guys got spooked once they found out you were back, so they planned this to get you out of the way," said Darunia. "They figured you'd see through the set-up and come all the way out here to investigate."

"In fact, it worked even better than they hoped," added Impa darkly. "They never expected to catch three of us Sages as well..."

Link gritted his teeth in anger. That murderous attack was nothing but a ploy to draw him out in the open? All those people died just because he came home? And even worse, he had helped deliver three of the Sages into enemy hands! _Some hero I am,_ he thought angrily. _I end up goading these monsters into attacking Hylians just by coming home, and then I fall for their dirty tricks..._

"There is one bit of hope though," spoke up Darunia. "All the Sages share a bond, you see, so when one Sage is hurt or in despair, all the others feel it too. No doubt the others felt it when we were blasted."

Link's face brightened up. "So that means Zelda would know about what happened?!" he asked hopefully.

Darunia looked a bit surprised. "Uh, yeah, she would," answered Darunia, confused. "Wh-why would it be so important if Zelda felt it?"

Impa and Link looked at each other for a moment. Eventually, Link spoke up. "Let's just say that if Zelda shows up right now, Ganondorf's army will get more than they bargained for," said Link, smiling.

* * *

The sun hung high in the sky, its blazing rays relentlessly beating down on Zelda as she walked through the mountain trenches. The heat was becoming unbearable for Zelda, and her dressy outfit was only making it worse. _Ugh, it's so hot! I hope I find them soon!_ she thought as she wiped away the sweat from her forehead. But it had been over a half hour since she had come across the caravan, and hadn't found any trace of the attackers since then.

"Oh, who am I kidding?" Zelda thought aloud as she continued on her way, hanging her head in defeat. "I'm no adventurer like Link. I doubt I'll even be able to find where they are or who attacked them. And even if I do, what if I'm not strong enough, even with the way I am now..."

Zelda stopped walking suddenly when she saw something right in front of her feet that DEFINITELY didn't belong there. The dead body of a Lizalfos. "Tha-that's one of Ganondorf's beasts!! B-but why... how..." she sputtered, not believing her eyes. Lifting her head up, she took a good look around her. All around her were other dead Lizalfoses as well, and a bit farther back on the path were a couple of dead Moblins she had just passed by without noticing. "Th-this means that some of Ganondorf's forces still remain!" she thought aloud, unable to deny what her eyes were telling her. 

"Link was right, it was foolish of us to assume they were all gone! They must've been the ones who murdered those merchants!!" she spat, her fists clenched in anger. "OK, that's it! I'll find where they're hiding if it takes me all day and all night!!" yelled the giant-sized princess as she ran forward through the mountain trenches, her self-doubt replaced with a renewed sense of determination.

* * *

Link wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had awakened, but he was sure of one thing: he was getting tired of standing there, chained and shackled, unable to do anything. Looking over at Darunia and Impa, he saw from the expressions on their faces that they felt the same way. In fact, Darunia still hadn't given up on trying to break his bindings. Link could see his muscles straining from trying to break free, but it was no use; the Moblins had made sure that even his strength wouldn't be able to break the shackles. As for Impa, she had an air of reserved calm about her. Link wasn't sure whether it was because she was confident Zelda was on her way here, or if it was just typical Sheikah behavior when faced with a crisis.

"This is nuts. We can't just stand here waiting for help to arrive. We need to find a way out of this," barked Link irascibly. He briefly wondered if this was what Zelda felt like when she was held hostage by Ganondorf.

"Urgh, I hear you, Brother. But for the moment, it looks like we're stuck here," said Darunia, clearly annoyed by his inability to free himself.

"Uhhhnn," came a moan from beside Link. He turned to find that Nabooru had finally awakened as well. "Ugh, wh-where are we? What happened?" she asked in a weak voice as she looked all around her.

Link brought Nabooru up to speed, telling her about the Moblins' ploy and how they were now all locked up in their mountain hideout. "Ugh, those bastards," she spat angrily. "We need to bust out and teach them a lesson."

"We all feel the same way, believe me," said Link. "But we're chained up here, and even Darunia can't break free of his shackles."

Nabooru said nothing in reply. She looked over at Darunia, then turned back to face Link, a sly smile foriming on her face. "Wha-what is it?" he asked her, curious about what she had on her mind.

"You saw through the Moblins' trick earlier. You think you know a lot about us Gerudo, don't you?" asked Nabooru wryly.

"Uh, yeah, I suppose," Link replied confusedly, not seeing the point of her question.

"Well, I bet there's a little tidbit about the Gerudo you DON'T know: we have excellent dentists," said Nabooru, still smiling.

Her three companions stared at her with blank looks. "You must've gotten hit harder than we thought. What does THAT have to do with anything?!" snapped Darunia.

"Well, you'll see," said Nabooru. Then she shut her mouth and remained still for a few seconds. In the dim lighting, Link could really see what she was doing. But a moment later, she opened her mouth again, and clenched between her front teeth was a molar. Wasting no time, she spat it over in Darunia's direction, and it hit one of shackles fastened on Darunia's wrist. As it impacted, a small popping sound could be heard, and a sallow-looking liquid spread out on the iron shackle. Hissing sounds could be heard too. Then Link figured out what was going on: a powerful acid was contained in Nabooru's fake tooth, and it was eating away at Darunia's bindings.

Eventually, the corrosive acid weakened the shackle enough so that Darunia could pull his arm free of it and away from the wall. "There. Now do you think you can get us out of this cell?" asked Nabooru impatiently. Darunia wasted no time on words. He immediately set to work using his free hand to rip off the rest of his bindings. Then he quickly freed his three companios as well, and made short work of the iron bars blocking to way out of the alcove.

"Nabooru, you're a life-saver. I don't know how to thank you," said Link, extremely grateful for being able to finally bust out of his prison.

"If you really wanna thank me, fork over a hundred rupees," said Nabooru flatly. "Do you have any idea what's involved in making those things?"

"Save the chatter for later," snapped Impa. "We're free, but we need to find our weapons and equipment too."

"Problem solved," said Darunia, calling from across the room. He was standing beside a large crate. "Ganondorf's lackeys sure don't score high in the IQ department, leaving their prisoners' weapons right outside the cell," he commented, pointing at the crate.

Link, Impa and Nabooru quickly reclaimed their pilfered weapons and equipment, and not a moment too soon. Right outside the door to the cell room, a loud, scratchy voice could be heard -- "Hey, I think I heard something in there. Could the prisoners be escaping?"

Link ran up to the heavy, wooden door that led out of the cell room. Standing a few feet away from it, he pulled out his bow. As soon as the door flew open, he let loose a fire arrow. It struck a Moblin in the midsection, and it immediately caught on fire. There was a second Moblin standing in the doorway as well, who stared dumbly at the sight of his companion being set ablaze. Link took advantage of the Moblin's idiotcy and pulled out his hookshot, firing it right into the second Moblin's face, stunning it momentarily. This allowed Link to move in with his Great Fairy Sword and stab it through the chest, killing it instantly.

"Two more down. Now let's get the rest," said Link. Impa, Darunia and Nabooru all nodded in agreement, and followed him out of the cell room, ready to take on the remainder of Ganondorf's army.

* * *

Another half hour had passed for Princess Zelda, but she still couldn't find any trace of the monsters that attacked Link and the others. What had started out as a one-way mountain path had turned into a wide-open area with several branching paths. Zelda had spent a good deal of time investigating all the paths, searching the walls of the trenches for any hidden openings, but so far she hadn't had any luck. 

_I can't give up yet. Link and the others need me, and I can't let them down,_ Zelda thought to herself as she continued to search the trenches. _Before, when Ganondorf was in power, I hid myself away and waited for others to do the fighting for me. Well, those days are over. This time, it's up to me to do the fighting. _

However, Zelda couldn't help but wonder if she was only willing to put herself in harm's way because of her current state. Hers was the Triforce of Wisdom, not the Triforce of Courage. She wondered whether or not she'd be so brave if she were still her normal self.

Soon she came across a wide-open space that she was quite sure she hadn't searched over yet. She began walking along the sides, looking for any irregularities or anything that would hint at a hidden entrance. _The rest of Ganondorf's forces must have a hideout here in the mountains, I know it,_ she thought as she surveyed the rocky walls.

It didn't take her long to finish searching the entire area, and once again, she had found nothing. "Argh!" she cried out in anger as she turned away from the rock wall she had been facing. It was then that she finally found something.

In the center of the gorge-like area she had entered, parts of the sandy ground looked as if it had been turned to glass... almost as if it had been struck by lightning. Then she remembered how she sensed the other Sages being electrocuted. _This is it! This must be where they were attacked!_ she thought excitingly, thrilled that she had finally found a clue. _Then maybe the hideout is nearby...._

Zelda walked over to the spot to investigate the area further, and could see what looked like drag marks in the sandy soil that led away from that glassy spot. She followed them, and they led her to what looked like a big boulder embedded in the rocky walls of the valley. She had noticed it before, but passed on it, thinking it was nothing. Apparently she had been mistaken.

Zelda grabbed the boulder and pulled, but it wouldn't budge. She tried pulling it again, harder this time, but it still wouldn't move the slightest bit. Even with her prodigious strength, she simply couldn't move the boulder. _Argh, I don't believe this! Well, maybe I can use magic to get through it,_ thought Zelda, backing up and preparing to use Din's Fire. 

But all of a sudden, the boulder slid outward and then to the side, revealing a tunnel that undoubtedly led underground. _What?! But I didn't do anything!!_ thought Zelda, staring at the newly-revealed passage. Then she heard stony, malicious-sounding voices coming from the tunnel. Zelda realized that some creatures must be coming topside via the tunnel.

Hiding behind a nearby rock, which thankfully was big enough to conceal her entire body, Zelda waited patiently for whatever was coming out to reach the valley. Soon enough, she heard those sardonic voices again, but this time she could make out what they were saying.

"I don't see why we have to patrol the area. Doubt anyone would be ballsy enough to come snooping around here after what we did," said one voice.

"I hear ya. Besides we already lured the accursed Hero of Time out here and caught him, along with half the Sages," came another voice.

"And with them outta the way, it'll be easier than ever to retake what we've lost!" said a third.

Zelda felt as if her blood was about to boil. So, it was the remains of Ganondorf's army that had caused all this! _Link must be locked up in there. The entrance is open now, but I've have to get past these monsters. But there's three of them, and..._

Then Zelda felt like slapping herself. _What's wrong with me?! I can take them out with no trouble!!_ With renewed confidence, she peered behind the rock and saw a Moblin walking toward her. Once it got close enough, she made her move. She leapt out from her hiding spot, and before the Moblin even knew what was going on, Zelda was closing in on it.

Since Moblins were only about eight feet tall, Zelda easily dwarfed them in size, allowing her to bring her clamped fists right down on its head. She could feel the Moblin's skull give way and heard its neck crack from the impact of her fists. Confident that she had finished off the first one, Zelda looked around for the other two. They were still near the tunnel entrance, both with blank looks on their faces. Obviously they hadn't counted on finding a princess standing nearly eleven feet tall on their patrol run!

While they were still confused, Zelda concentrated, and used the magic of Din's Fire to conjure up a ball of energy and send it toward one of the remaining Moblins. The Moblin promptly exploded in flames as the energy ball ignited, but with a force much greater than Zelda had expected. Clearly, the sheer power of her magic had increased with her size too! Zelda then turned to face the last one, who was still staring at Zelda with a blank look. Also, it seemed to be quivering, clearly intimidated by Zelda's display of raw power. _Good. This is one time I WON'T mind if someone's scared of me!!_ Zelda thought vindictively.

Then she moved in, lunging at the last Moblin with her arms outstreched. The Moblin tried to bring up its spear to fend her off, but it was too late. Zelda's hands clamped down on its throat and she hoisted it up of its feet, slamming it against the rocky wall. "I KNOW YOU CAPTURED LINK AND THE SAGES!! ARE THEY DOWN IN THIS TUNNEL?!!" she roared, still gripping its throat tightly. The quivering Moblin, too frightened to speak, simply nodded. "That's all I need to know," Zelda said icily. Then she whirled around and hurled the Moblin's body toward the rock she had been hiding behind. Its head impacted it hard, and Zelda swore she could hear its spine shatter.

Breathing heavily and still filled with vindictive anger, Zelda surveyed her handiwork. Three Moblins taken out in less than a minute. "And the rest of you will meet the same fate," she spat acidly as she entered the exposed entranceway. Fortunately with them being made with mainly Moblins in mind, she could walk through the tunnels without ducking, although she occasionally felt her head brush against the top of the tunnel.

_OK, I'm finally in,_ she thought as she sped down the tunnel. _But I have no idea where they're keeping Link. How do I find him? _

At that moment, she felt a burning sensation in her right hand. Looking at her hand, she saw the Triforce symbol glowing on the back. Furthermore, she felt a slight tugging sensation in her hand as well, as if to lead her to a certain location. Zelda instantly knew what was going on: her Triforce piece was letting her home in on Link's. Grinning, she ventured forth, confident that she'd find Link and the three captured Sages soon enough.

* * *

"If only we could find the way out," Link muttered under his breath as he and his friends ventured through the tunnels that made up the Moblins' hideout. It had been ten minutes since they had busted free of their cell, but so far, they had had no luck in finding an exit. Thankfully though, they hadn't run into any other monsters so far. So for the moment, they were safe.

All of a sudden, Link felt a strange tingling sensation in his hand. Looking at it, he saw that the Triforce symbol was glowing on the back of his hand again, just like before he faced Ganondorf. It could only mean one thing: Zelda must have found this place! Link stopped and showed his friends the Triforce symbol on his hand. "I think this means that Zelda's here now."

Then all of a sudden came a booming voice that seemed to echo all around them. "Too bad for her! Now she will die along with all of you!!" Link whirled around, sword drawn, and saw a small army of Moblins, Lizalfoses, Stalfoses, and Dinofloses, forming a semicircle around them. Taking a better look around him, Link saw that they had just exited a tunnel and entered a large chamber-like area, which was reminiscint of the heart of the Goron City. "I don't know how you escaped from your cell and I don't care!," came the voice again. "We planned on using you as bait to lure the rest of the Sages and the princess here, but now, I think we'll just kill you all," came the stony voice of a Moblin that echoed throughout the chamber. 

Then Link heard something drop nearby him. He looked down to see what looked like a bomb, and the fuse was about to go out. A second later, it went off, but instead of an explosion, a stange sticky substance came out that engulfed Link and his companions, trapping them within it. Link tugged and pulled at it, but could not free himself from the glue-like mass. And judging from the grunts and frustrated groans he heard from his friends, they weren't having any luck either, not even Darunia.

In the dim torchlight of the chamber, Link could see a single Moblin step forward and slowly approach Link, its spear pointed directly at him. Link tightened his grip on the Great Fairy Sword, but he knew it was no use; the sticky glop covered his entire left arm and he couldn't move it at all. "You were the one that defeated our master, so you're first," said the Moblin, its spear still pointed threateningly at Link.

**"OH NO YOU DON'T!!!!"** An impossibly loud, anguished scream echoed throughout the chamber, causing all the monsters present to look around confusedly, trying to figure out where the loud voice had come from.

Then the Moblin that had advanced on Link spontaneously burst into flames without warning. The Moblin flailed around in a panic, and a few seconds later, it fell dead, its body disintegrating into ashes.

"Uh, what just happened?" Link heard Nabooru ask. Clearly, she was just as confused as Ganondorf's monsters.

"That can only mean one thing: Zelda's found us," Link heard Impa answer. "And she sounds mighty angry."

Then she revealed herself. Link saw her suddenly drop down right in front of them where the Moblin had been standing moments before, as if she had jumped down from a higher level. Her back was facing him, and she was facing Ganondorf's creatures. Link could see them starting to back up and look at each other, unsure of what to do next.

"Uhhh, Zelda's sure... umm, GROWN, since last we met," Nabooru said timidly.

"Uhh, I take it this is the problem about Zelda you didn't want to tell us?" asked Darunia.

"Bingo," said Link. "And I have a feeling Zelda's problem is now gonna be the solution to our problem...."

Zelda looked all around her. Surrounding her was an army of Ganondorf's most feared monsters. But now, with her enlarged size, they looked a lot less threatening. Zelda couldn't help but to smile wickedly. She now had a chance to wipe the land clean of these filthy beasts. "Listen up, you motherless spawns!" she shouted threatingly. "Anyone who wants to hurt Link and the Sages will have to get through ME first!! Anyone care to try?!"

As if to answer her, several Stalfoses charged at her. But Zelda was ready. Just as one Stalfos was about to reach her, she cocked back her fist. Concentrating her magic power in her fist, she cut loose with a vicious right hook that destroyed the skeleton on impact, its bones flying in all directions. Another was about to reach her, but she was ready for that one too. She reached out with both hands and concentrated again. With her magic energy, she ensnared the Stalfos. Then she spun around and tossed it at another approaching Stalfos, causing both of them to fly apart. However, a fourth one managed to get close and took a swipe at her. Zelda briskly backed up, then grabbed the Stalfos by the arm when it tried to attack again. Then she effortlessly hurled it into the crowd of marauding monsters, knocking several of them over.

_Yes, I was right! I can do this!_ Zelda thought jubilantly. _I can take them all out, and rid Hyrule of these scum forever!_

But her enemies had other ideas. "Everyone, just rush her! It doesn't matter how big she is, there's still only one of her!!" came the sardonic voice of another Moblin. 

The rest of the army seemed to listen. About a dozen monsters charged toward Zelda all at once. Zelda lunged forward to meet them head on. With a swipe of her huge hand, she shocked the Lizalfos in front of her with her magic and knocked it unconscious. Then she lifted her foot and kicked another Lizalfos in the face, knocking that one out as well. But then yet another Lizalfos jumped on her back, about to plunge its blade into her jugular. Zelda reacted just in time, reaching behind her to grab the loathsome reptile and flipping it over her head, bringing it down right in front of her onto an advancing Moblin.

_Whoa, this is getting a lot tougher. Guess I didn't count on there being so many!_ she thought to herself as she continued to fight. _Got to give myself some breathing space! Can't use Din's Fire so close to Link and the others... I know!_ Focusing her magic again, this time she called upon the power of Nayru's Love, but in a creative new way. Spinning around, she used the energy of Nayru's Love to knock back all the monsters surrounding her.

Satsified that her idea had worked, Zelda immediately went on the offensive again. She bent forward and swiped at three Moblins right in front of her, sending her magic energy coursing through their bodies and caused them to fly back into the chamber wall. Looking around for more enemies, she saw two Lizalfoses beside her, looking uneasily at her. Zelda lashed out and grabbed their heads in her hands, then konked them together. She swore she could hear their skulls crack open as a result.

"Get her! Get her, you idiots! Let's come at her all at once! She can't beat us all!" came the rallying cry of another Moblin.

Once again the monsters seemed to take the rantings to heart. Three more Lizalfoses leapt at her, sounding off with their dolphin-like screech. Concentrating the power of Din's Fire once again into a compact ball of energy, she launched it at the jumping reptiles and ignited it. She succeeded in incinerating two of them, but the last one managed to close in on her and swung its blade. Instinctively, she lifted her forearm in front of her to protect herself, and the monster's blade cut through her glove and made a long, bleeding gash in her arm. Zelda gritted her teeth; her arm was afirw with a sharp, stinging pain.

"You see?! You see?! She's not invincible!! Keep at it!" cried that one Moblin again.

An instant later, a Moblin charged at her from the left. She was too slow this time, being distracted by the pain in her arm, and sunk a spear right into her hip. Zelda screamed as she felt the spear's tip plunge right into her hip bone and she bent down on one knee, her hand reaching for her wound. A second later, another Moblin advanced upon her from the front, holding a large rock. Since she was bending down, the Moblin could smack her on the side of her face with with the rock. Zelda started seeing stars swirling around her head and could taste her own blood. And the Moblin that had hit her with the rock wasn't done yet; it charged forward with a headbutt, nailing Zelda in the gut and knocking her flat on her back.

Zelda couldn't think straight because of the pain; all she was aware of was hearing the cries of "Get her!" and "Pin her down!" and the sensation of being held down by several of the monsters. They had succeeded in bringing her down and now were securely holding her down through sheer force of numbers.

_No... it can't end like this. If they kill me, they'll go on and kill Link! No, I can't let that happen! I've got to keep fighting!_

Concentrating with all her might, fighting to block out the pain, she summoned up the magic of Din's Fire again. This time, its energy radiated outward from her body and incinerated all the monsters that had tried to pin her down, their death screams shrilling in her ears.

Zelda slowly rose to her feet to face her attackers again, but none of them were advancing on her anymore. They were all watching her, as if they were expecting something....

Then from out of nowhere, an ugly robed monster dropped down in front of her. It was holding a big wooden rod, the tip of it pulsating with electrical energy, and it was pointing it right at Zelda. Zelda realized that the creature must have been some sort of magician, and was about to turn its magic upon her. She quickly summoned up the power of Nayru's Love again. But she was an instant too late. The monster fired off a lightning blast at her before the protective barrier could form around her. "YYEEAAAAARRGGHHH!!!!" she screamed as the devasting power of the lightning bolt coursed through her body, her voice almost deafening everyone in the room. She then slumped to her hands and knees, barely conscious.

Meanwhile, Link was watching everything. That was all he could do, since the glue-like substance was still holding him prisoner. The sight of Zelda being struck down filled his heart with dread. If she died... _No, I've got to free myself and save her! But how?_

Then Link finally realized that most of his right arm was unbound by the glue. Suddenly, an inspiration came to him. He reached into his quiver and pulled out a single arrow. Concentrating with all his might, he summoned his magic energy and powered it up as an ice arrow. He quickly plunged it into the sticky mass, and it instantly became frozen and brittle, and allowed the four of them to easily break free. 

"OK, now let's hurry and help Zelda!" he told the others as he dashed forward. But their escape hadn't gone unnoticed by the monsters; two Stalfoses and a Lizalfos ran up to block his path. _No!! They're keeping me from reaching Zelda!!_ he thought panickingly as he began to fight the monsters.

At the same time, the Wizzrobe was readying another lightning blast....

Zelda's entire body was a mass of pain; every part of her body felt as if it were on fire. Never before had she suffered pain like this. Furthermore, the pain fueled her anger even more...

All of a sudden, Zelda felt a surge of power. It wasn't from the Triforce of Wisdom or her magic, it was something else. And it felt as if this power was radiating out from her body...

Zelda found the strength to stand again, and she slowly rose to her feet. Looking around her, she saw all the monsters seemd to be backing away from her, and it looked as if they were... shrinking? Then Zelda realized what was going on: the power of the Giant's Mask had somehow kicked in, and she was growing again!! 

Nearby, Link and the others watched as Zelda continued to grow. Link simply couldn't believe how big she was getting. When her growth spurt had finished, Link could see that she had doubled in size AGAIN!!

Zelda looked down at the remaining force of monsters; they all looked even smaller to her now. Whereas before they were still a threat, now they were practically nothing to her. And evidently they reached the same conclusion and began to make a run for it. But she wasn't going to let them get away. Calling upon her last reserves of strength, she used Din's Fire one last time and shot the energy ball at the fleeing monsters. It ignited with a thunderous burst and brightly lit up the entire chamber, its scorching heat radiating throughout all the tunnels. 

As for the monsters... ten, twenty, fifty... she wasn't sure how many she had managed to obliterate with her last spell. But she was confident that she had finished off a good number of them, and that she had saved her friends.

Her friends.... Looking down, she saw Link and the others staring up at her with baffled looks on their faces. Oh, how small they looked now! And Link barely came up to her knee! Her fears had come true: she had grown again to an even more monstrous size. She was even more of a danger to everyone now. But at least she managed to save Link and the others. "Link," she muttered weakly, "thank the Goddesses... I made it..."

Then she fell forward onto the ground, the pain and exhaustion finally getting to her. The last thing she saw was Link bending down to look into her eyes, and then she blacked out completely.

* * *

Ugh, it took me almost a month to finally finish another chapter. Damnit, I'm too slow. Well, hopefully you all thought the wait was worth it....

So long,  
Grey


	7. A Midnight Date

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 7: A Midnight Date  
10-9-2004  
by Grey

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

"Uhhhh," muttered Zelda as she finally came to. Everything was a blur for her. Her head was aching and her body felt sore all over. _Ugh, where am I?_ she thought as she sat up and looked around.

From the looks of things, she seemed to be inside a barn. A REALLY small barn, though. _I must be at Lon Lon Ranch, but how did I get here? The last thing I remember was fighting off all those monsters, and then..._ Suddenly, it all came flooding back to her; how all those monsters were about to kill her friends and almost managed to kill her, and then... then she had had another growth spurt, growing to quadruple her normal size. _Oh no,_ she thought as she looked down at herself. It was then she realized that the wounds she had suffered in that battle were no longer there, and also, the tears in her clothes were somehow gone as well. _Huh? How'd that happen? What's going on?_

"Zelda! Zelda, oh, you're finally up!" she heard Link say. But his voice seemed so faint, so distant...

She looked around and saw that he was standing next to her. And he looked so small! Before, he looked child-sized to her, but now he was roughly the size of a baby to her. "Oh Link, y-you look even smaller now! I-I'm so big! I-I feel even more like an overgrown monster..." she cried sadly. Her booming voice was absolutely defeaning now, seeming to come from everywhere, and Link had to fight the instinct to cover his ears.

"Zelda, please don't think like that. It won't do you any good," said Link.

"B-but Link, I-I can't go on living like this, being over twenty feet tall!" cried Zelda, who could feel tears welling up again. "Th-this is just so weird, being so huge! A-and how are we supposed to be together, when I'm so much bigger and stronger, and, and..."

Link stepped closer to Zelda, as if to show her that her size was meaningless to him. "I told you before that I didn't care if you grew bigger, and I meant it," said Link, cutting her off. "You could grow bigger than Hyrule Castle and I wouldn't care. I'll stay by your side no matter what."

Zelda had been on the verge of crying again, but Link's kind words made her feel a little bit better. "Thank you Link. Th-that means a whole lot to me," she said.

Link continued to stare up at Zelda, not really sure of what to say next. "And, um, Zelda, thanks for coming to save us. If it weren't for you, we'd probably all be dead." Then he let out a little chuckle. "You know, people always call me a hero, but this time, it was you who saved the day. You sure thought those monsters a lesson!" said Link praisingly.

"I did what I had to," said Zelda flatly, not wanting to be reminded of what she was capable of.

Link just continued to stare up at her. She was enormous, and looked incredibly strong and powerful. She had managed to effortlessly toss around all those monsters even BEFORE her second growth spurt. And now...

"Zelda, you-you were just incredible back there. Seriously, I've NEVER seen anyone cut loose like that, or fight like that. I bet if Ganondorf were to come back, you'd be able to waste him without any help from me," said Link.

Whereas before Link's words had calmed her, now he was making her want to cry again. "That's just the thing. I'm not like Ganondorf, I don't crave power! I don't want power like this! That's what makes me feel like a monster, having all this strength! I-I'm so afraid I'll hurt people if I'm not careful..."

"Zelda, I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean it like that!" spoke up Link, realizing his blunder. "I was just trying to make you feel better, a-and I thought that would..."

Zelda looked down at Link again and could see that he was being sincere. "It's OK, Link. I guess I overreacted, I'm sorry," she said apologetically.

"No, it's me who should be sorry. I should've known better than to say something like that," said Link.

"Forget about it, Link. No harm done," replied Zelda reassuringly. "I just wish I knew what it was that made me grow again."

Link thought about Zelda's question for a moment, trying to remember exactly what had happened during her fight with Ganondorf's forces. He could clearly recall how badly Zelda had been hurt, and how her face was twisted in anger. "Maybe... maybe it was because you were worked up into a frenzy during that fight," suggested Link. "My guess is that the mask's power kicks in whenever you're angry or hurt."

"So... if I get mad again, or get hurt, I might grow even larger?" Zelda asked fearfully.

Link just shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I'm only guessing. There's a lot about the mask I don't know."

Zelda looked down at herself again, not sure of what to make of Link's theory. "Um, Link, after I passed out in that hideout, what happened? How did I get here? This looks like Lon Lon Ranch."

"It is," answered Link. "It's a good thing Malon and Talon decided to renovate the place and build an extra-big barn. Impa felt it was the best place for you to stay."

"Not to mention it's probably the only place in Hyrule I can fit inside now," said Zelda sorrowfully.

Link didn't know how to respond to that, and decided to just continue explaining things to Zelda. "OK, you were out cold and bleeding badly, and we didn't know how we could get you out of the hideout. You were way too heavy to carry out. Fortunately, the six Sages can perform a special teleportation spell when they're all together, so Impa went and brought back the other three Sages and they transported you here. Plus, Rauru had magic that healed your wounds, and..." Link's voice trailed off, as if he had just realized something. "Healing... wait a minute..." he muttered to himself.

"Link, what is it? What's wrong?" asked Zelda anxiously, wondering what Link was thinking.

"Argghh! I can't believe this, I'm such a #&ing idiot! Why didn't I think of it before!" cried Link, clearly annoyed with himself about something.

"Uh, Link, you're losing me..."

"HEALING!" cried Link, as if that one word would explain everything. "I know this one song that can lift certain curses and enchantments: the Song of Healing! I can't believe I didn't think of this before now." Link then took out the Ocarina of Time and began to play the Song of Healing, certain that this would be the solution to Zelda's giantism. Zelda listened attentively to Link's song, hoping he was right about it lifting the mask's power.

After Link had finished playing the entire song, however, he opened his eyes to see that Zelda was still a hulking behemoth. The song had had absolutely no effect on her. She looked down at herself again, then back over to Link. "What! I don't get it! It always worked before!" shouted Link angrily. "Grrr, stupid useless piece of..."

"HEY!" snapped Zelda, her thunderous voice so loud it made Link wince in pain. "That's the Royal Family's treasure, remember!"

"Heh heh, oh yeah," muttered Link sheepishly. "Sorry, but I was sure it would cure you!"

"Don't blame yourself, it was worth a try," said Zelda, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

She didn't fool Link at all. "Zelda, please, you can't let this get to you so much. OK, yeah, I'm sure this is all really weird for you, but it's not that bad."

Zelda turned away and let out a sigh. He simply couldn't understand how she felt. How she had this nagging fear that she would hurt people on accident. How being so big make her feel like a freak. How she had this nagging feeling that the people of Hyrule would be terrified of her.

"And don't forget, that I'll be here." Link stepped closer and reached out to grab hold of her arm. "I swear it, I'll stay with you no matter what."

Zelda looked down at him again. _I have to admit, he looks so cute!_ she thought to herself, smiling. She reached over with her other arm and placed her hand on his back, rubbing against it gently. _Oh what am I doing! I can't take the risk of hurting him anymore. I'm way too strong now!_ she thought, mentally chiding herself as she took her hand away.

Link immediately realized what was going through Zelda's mind. "Zelda, we've been through this," he said disapprovingly. "I wasn't afraid before, and I'm not afraid now." Looking into Zelda's eyes, he could see that she was still hesitant. "Please Zelda, don't worry. And like I said before, when you hugged me, it felt nice."

Zelda then remembered how Link had said it felt good to be held by her. "You really meant it?"

"Uh-huh. I can't explain why, but it just did. In fact, I wouldn't mind if you held me again," said Link, looking up at her expectantly.

Zelda just stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to do. She was still deathly afraid of accidently hurting him, but eventually the desire to hold Link close got the better of her. Ever so slowly, she reached out and put her hands at his sides, and slowly lifted him up. _Oh, it feels like he weighs practically nothing!_ she thought to herself as she set him down in front of her. Link was now standing on her lap. The she flung her arms around him, ensnaring him in a vicious bear hug.

Even though Zelda was trying to be gentle, Link found her hug to be a bit tight. It sort of felt as if he was being squeezed by an anaconda. Still, despite her hug being overly tight, it felt good, even better than before. _Hmmm, a guy could really get used to this,_ he thought as he closed his eyes and surrendered to Zelda's strong embrace. She felt so warm and so soft...

A loud clicking sound brought him back to his senses. Link immediately recognized the sound: a pictobox being used to take a picture. Turning his head to look behind him, he saw Impa standing a few feet from Zelda, holding a pictobox and smiling wickedly. "Good thing I came prepared this time," she beamed at them.

Link just stared back at her, clearly annoyed and embarrassed. "You were hiding in the shadows waiting for an opportunity, weren't you?"

"Of course. And besides, you didn't think I'd leave the princess alone while she was out cold, did you?" replied Impa, her amusement still evident in her voice.

"She wasn't alone! I was here!" yelled Link indignantly.

"Uh, Impa?" spoke up Zelda, clearly nervous about something. "While I was out, s-some of the villagers saw me. Um, does..."

"The rest of Hyrule know?" Impa finished for her. "Unfortunately, yes. Word spread quickly after that. The people don't know you're staying here, however."

Zelda closed her eyes, on the verge of tears again. "My secret's out. Th-they all must be terrified, knowing there's a giant freak among them..."

"Quite the opposite, in fact," said Impa. "You see, we told the people of Hyrule everything. About how the remainder of Ganondorf's forces had resurfaced, and that you arrived to drive them away. That hideout we found is abandoned now; the monsters are scattered and on the run, the people of Hyrule are safer now, and they're are praising you for it."

Zelda couldn't believe what she was hearing. She opened her eyes and looked over to Impa, trying to tell from her face whether or not she was making all this up. "Are-are you serious!" Zelda cried in disbelief. She had kept the truth from her before, and she might be doing it again.

Impa obvious caught on to what Zelda was thinking. "Princess, please believe me when I say I'm not lying. And you should also know this: because of you, it's unlikely those Moblins will ever attack our people again. The reason they kept quiet for so long is probably because they feared the power of us Sages, and only Link's return scared them into doing something. But as long as they think there's a giant, angry Sage with super-strong magic out there, they'll be too scared to rear their ugly heads again," explained Impa, clearly happy with the current turn of events.

"You hear that, Zelda?" spoke up Link, who was still securely cradled in Zelda's arms. "The people aren't afraid of you - they're less afraid BECAUSE of you. It's like I said before, this time YOU'RE the hero!"

Zelda didn't know what to make of all this. She was still distraught because of her giantism, yet after hearing Impa's news, she was beginning to feel a little better. At least now she knew that people wouldn't think her a freak and that they wouldn't be afraid. _Maybe Link was right about things not being so bad,_ she thought happily. Then she felt Link's tiny hand rubbing against her cheek. She looked down and saw looking up at her, smiling. _And I still have you,_ she thought as she bent down to kiss Link on the forehead.

* * *

Riding on Epona, Link hastily sped back to Lon Lon Ranch. It had been more than two days since Zelda had driven the Moblins out of their mountain hideout, and Link had volunteered to help with searching all around Hyrule for where the rest of them may be hiding. So far no one had found anything, and now Link was anxious to get back to Zelda. Even though he had only been out a few hours, he couldn't get back to her soon enough.

Link looked up into the midnight sky. The moon had been waning for days, but it still was giving off quite a bit of light, which made the trip back a bit easier.

Soon enough, Link and Epona made it back to Lon Lon Ranch. But to Link's surprise, Malon was standing in the entranceway, as if she had been waiting for him. "Hey there, Link," she called to him. "My, Epona's sure been happy since you came back."

"Well, the two of us went through a lot together," said Link, riding up to Malon.

"Anyway, Link, I've been waiting to give you a message," said Malon suddenly. "It's about Zelda."

"Huh? Is something wrong! Where is she!" asked Link nervously, worried that something bad had happened.

Malon shook her head violently. "No, no, nothing's wrong. She's just went somewhere and she's waiting for you."

"Huh? She left the ranch?" asked Link, now really confused. He thought that Zelda would have wanted to stay at the ranch and out of sight. What made her want to leave?

"Yeah, about an hour ago," said Malon. "She said she was going to Lake Hylia."

"Did she say why?" asked Link.

"No, just that she wanted you to go there as soon as possible," Malon explained. "And I think you should; she doesn't seem like the type you'd want to keep waiting," she added with a chuckle.

"Very funny," Link grumbled as he got off of Epona. He didn't take kindly to how Malon was willing to make fun of Zelda's predicament. But Link decided it was better to let it drop and go see what Zelda was up to. As Malon walked over to pet her beloved horse, Link took out the Ocarina of Time and played the Serenade of Water, warping himself to Lake Hylia.

Link looked all around Lake Hylia; it was as peaceful and serene as it was the day he returned to Hyrule. But just why had Zelda come here? And where was she?

"So Malon told you I was here," suddenly came a loud voice from behind him. Turning around, Link saw the princess standing by the tree, looking down at him. 

This was the first time since the attack on the hideout that Link had seen her standing at her full height, and it was quite an intimidating sight. Link had been truthful when he said that he wasn't afraid of her, but he still couldn't quite get over how big and powerful she looked. She was almost twenty-two feet tall and weighed four tons, and then there was the fact that her magical power had greatly increased with her size as well.

"Um, yeah, she did," said Link. "Just got back from helping with the search effort. Didn't find anything though."

"Guess Impa was right then," Zelda admitted somberly. "If the Moblins are truly scared of me, they'd be miles away by now."

"Guess so," said Link, still staring up at Zelda. After her display of raw power back at their hideout, it was no surprise that all the monsters decided to go into hiding again. But when Link looked at her, he didn't feel scared; he only felt a surge of passion for her. She was still the beautiful princess he had come back to Hyrule for. She still looked incredibly graceful and elegant and, despite her size, gave off an air of loving gentleness. It was the ultimate oxymoron: here was this beautiful woman with a heart of gold that wouldn't want to hurt anyone, and yet at the same time she was a giantess with untold strength and destructive power.

"Um, Zelda, uh, why did you come here?" asked Link suddenly, wanting to know why they were there. "I figured you'd wanted to have stayed in the barn and not be seen. Why come out in the open like this?" For a few seconds Zelda just stood there looking down at him, her face expressionless. Then her mouth twisted into a devious smile, and she reached down and grabbed Link by his sides. "Hey! What are you..." he began, but he was cut off when Zelda brought his face up to hers and kissed him, her lips pretty much covering his entire face. Link decided then to stop struggling and just let Zelda have her way with him, especially since her kiss felt rather nice.

Zelda then sat down and leaned against the tree, sitting Link down in her lap. "You were right, Link. I can't just wallow in self-pity," she admitted to him, reaching out and gently petting Link on the head, and with her other hand she gently traced along his chest and sides with her finger. "I need to get on with my life. I'm still the princess, after all, and soon I better get back to my job. And then," she said, leaning down a little, "there's you. As long as we can be together, everything's OK."

"Oh. I-I see," said Link, glad to see that Zelda's depression was lifting. But for the most part, he was distracted by Zelda's gentle caresses. The feel of her soft, gentle hands was sending shivers of delight coursing through him.

Zelda noticed this and smiled broadly. "And I had you come here because, well, I wanted us to be someplace, I dunno, romantic. And Lake Hylia is quite beautiful at night, don't you think?"

"It sure is," admitted Link. The serene setting of Lake Hylia really did set the mood quite nicely.

"C'mere you," she said softly, pulling him toward her and hugging him tightly again. Once again her prodigious strength became apparent to Link, feeling her hard arm muscles squeeze against him tightly. But it wasn't so bad, since he was also being pressed tightly into her pillowy chest.

Then Zelda giggled, which lightly shook Link. "Y'know, this must be the most bizarre relationship ever," said Zelda, a hint of mischieviousness in her sonorous voice. "I mean, this must be the only instance where the girl has total power over her man."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," said Link, not sure of what Zelda was getting at.

"So, whatever I say pretty much goes, huh?" she continued in a teasing manner.

"Um, I suppose," said Link, feeling a bit uncomfortable about where the conversion was going.

"So, if I decided to toss you in the lake, there's nothing you could do about it, am I right?" she went on.

"HUH!" exclaimed Link.

The next thing Link knew, he was hurtling through the night air, and then he plummeted into the cold waters of Lake Hylia. The cold water immediately snapped Link out of his dreamy, relaxed state, and he quickly gathered his wits and resurfaced. As soon as he did, however, a tremendous splash right next to him caused him to become submerged again.

When he surfaced again, he could see that Zelda had jumped in the water with him. Her head and shoulders were above the water, and she was still smiling mischieviously at him. Link was amazed at how someone so large could manage to stay afloat.

"Geez, Zelda, why did you go and do that!" demanded Link, a bit annoyed.

"Hey, like you said, I'm basically in charge now," replied Zelda, still smiling teasingly. "And I wanted to go for a swim."

"But what about your dress? That's the only set of clothes you have!" said Link, concerned.

"Hey, it needed to be washed anyway," said Zelda, smirking. "Come on, Link. The water's fine and it's a nice night for a swim." Then she used her arms to slowly propel herself backward. "Come on, Link, try and keep up with me," she called to him teasingly. Link decided to play along and took off after her. But even with swimming at top speed, he couldn't quite catch up to her; Zelda was able to stay ahead of him, and she was barely trying. It was perplexing how someone so big could move so quickly, especially in water.

Eventually though, Zelda grew bored of the chase after seeing that Link couldn't keep up with her, so she decided to do something else. In one swift motion, she went underwater, leaving a confused Link on the lake's surface, wondering what she was planning. He found out soon enough, though. An instant later, Zelda rose from the water right behind him, creating another tremendous rush of water that almost made him go under again. "Ack! Zelda, enough already!" cried Link as he coughed and sputtered.

"Oh, quit being such a baby," chided Zelda teasingly as she moved toward Link.

"OK OK, I'm sorry," said Link, still a little disoriented.

"Anyway, there's something else I want to try now," said Zelda, who still had a hint of playfulness in her voice. She then turned around, and with her hand beckoned Link to move closer to her. "Grab on to me, Link. I'll take you for a ride around Lake Hylia," she told him.

Shrugging his shoulders, Link decided to go ahead with what Zelda wanted. _That doesn't sound too bad, I suppose,_ he thought to himself as he slowly swam toward Zelda. Link grabbed hold of her by wrapping his arms securely around her neck. He was now pressed against Zelda's long, blonde hair, and many wet clumps of her hair were draped over him.

"OK Link, hang on!" he heard her say in her booming voice. And then she took off, starting to swim around the outer edges of Lake Hylia. At first, she went relatively slowly, but after a while, she began to go faster. All the while, Link held on tightly, finding being taken for a ride by Zelda to be quite enjoyable. It was quite a fun ride, far more fun than swimming around as a Zora or riding atop the giant turtle in Termina.

"Hey Link, take a deep breath. I'm going under," Zelda called to him. Link took a deep breath just in time, for an instant later, Zelda dove underwater, taking Link down with her. Link looked all around him, taking in all the beautiful underwater scenery and watching all the marine life go by. At one point, he was able to make out the underwater entrance to the Water Temple. _I wonder if Ruto is there right now,_ Link briefly wondered. _If she is, I hope she doesn't see us; she'd probably be insanely jealous._

Thankfullly, before Link ran out of air, Zelda surfaced again. Link could see that she came up near the shores of Lake Hylia and was now walking out onto the land, both of them sopping wet. She squatted down so Link could safely jump down off of her. "Well, enjoy the ride?" she asked Link playfully.

"Yeah, that was kinda fun," said Link. "You know, you're a really good swimmer."

"Yeah well, Ruto was a good teacher. She gave me swimming lessons back when we were little kids," explained Zelda.

"Oh, I see," said Link.

"Speaking of Ruto, what's this I hear about you two being engaged?" she suddenly asked.

The mention of this sent Link into a panic as he remembered that bizarre turn of events years ago. "Z-Zelda, th-that was, uh uh, an accident! We didn't, uh, I-I mean..." stammered Link nervously, his eyes wide with worry.

Zelda had to stifle another laugh. It sure didn't take much to needle him. "Oh Link, you're too easy to tease," she said mockingly. "Don't worry, Ruto told me all about it. I know you were probably too young at the time to understand, right?"

"Uh, yeah, you're right," said Link, still a little nervous.

"Yeah, I can tell. You're the type who was probably clueless about girls when you were younger," said Zelda, still smiling teasingly.

Link looked down at the ground, insanely embarrassed. "Do you have to put it like that?" he asked morosely. Zelda chuckled again; she got such a charge out of teasing Link like this.

But the conversation had brought up something that had been on Zelda's mind for a while. "Link, what about me? Would you be willing to, you know, marry me?" she asked suddenly, placing a hand at Link's side. The playful tone in her voice was gone now, replaced by a voice suddenly filled with expectation and longing.

Link picked his head up and looked into her big, beautiful blue eyes, not really sure how to answer her question. "Well, I, uh..." stammered Link, unsure of how to answer her. "Well, um, er, uh, I dunno, at least, not right away. It's kind of sudden, don't you think?"

Zelda's heart sank a little. But judging from Link's answer, it didn't sound like he flat-out said 'no', so she was still hopeful. "So, after some time passes, you'd be willing to?"

Link then took Zelda's huge hand in his. "After a while, yeah, I don't see why not. I mean, we've already admitted we love each other and all. And there's no rush, right?"

"Even-even if I can't get back to normal?" Zelda asked anxiously, finding Link's answer almost too good to be true. "You wouldn't mind having a giant girl for a wife?"

Link gently rubbed against her hand and smiled. "Hey, I think we've already established that size doesn't matter."

Zelda couldn't contain her happiness, knowing that Link was willing marry her one day, whether she returned to normal or not. She swiftly scooped Link up in her arms again and hugged him tightly. "Th-thank you Link," she said softly as she snuggled him close. As for Link, he simply kept quiet, once again reveling in the pleasant sensations of Zelda's loving embrace.

A loud chirping sound nearby interrupted them. Both Link and Zelda turned in the direction of the disturbance. It was a Blue Tectite, which was just standing there, as if waiting to pounce. "What an idiot," muttered Link, not quite believing how a Tectite would be stupid enough to try and attack something so much larger than it was.

"Allow me," said Zelda, forming a fist and bringing it crashing down on the creature, squashing it flat. "Now, where were we?" she asked, turning from the Tectite's remains. "Oh yes, I remember," she said, and hugged Link once more.

* * *

You know, this chapter was originally gonna be a bit more... I dunno, more steamy. I was gonna have Zelda wake up naked, with only a large tarp to cover her, and during the part at the lake I was gonna have her strip down to a black two-piece swimsuit. I'm serious. But I decided to nix all that, knowing that I'd be hit with accusations of fanservicing. Then again, this whole fic is one big exercise in fanservice in itself.

So long,  
Grey


	8. The Decision

Back In Her Hands a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 8: The Decision  
10-31-2004  
by Grey 

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

Link slowly walked over to the barn where Zelda was still staying, carrying a barrel filled to the brim with apples. Thankfully, he had been able to get a ride on a wagon back to Lon Lon Ranch. Having to carry that barrel all the way from the market town would have surely worn him out, especially with it being high noon and unbearably hot. 

As he made his way to Zelda's barn, he couldn't help thinking about the previous night. Specifically, when Zelda had asked if he would marry her. Link truly loved Zelda, but for some reason the question made him a bit uneasy. _I guess it was just so sudden, the way she asked me,_ he reasoned.

Then there was the possibility that a cure for Zelda's condition might never be found. Having a giant woman for a wife would sure be... weird. _Oh, come on! Since when has anything in your life been normal?_ Link thought, mentally chiding himself. He had promised Zelda he'd stay by her, and he had to live up to his vow.

Finally, Link made it back to the barn, and he had to put down the barrel to open the huge front door. Link quickly picked up the barrel again and headed inside. In the middle of the barn was Zelda, lying down on the floor sleeping soundly, using a large wagon tarp for a pillow. _She looks so peaceful when she's sleeping,_ Link thought to himself.

Evidently though, it had been a very light sleep, for Zelda slowly rose and turned toward Link almost as soon as he had stepped inside. "Oh hi, Link," she said lazily. "What's that you have there?"

"Oh, it's another barrel of apples for you," said Link. "I figured you could use some more to eat."

"That's OK, Link. I'm really not hungry," she said quickly.

As if on cue, Zelda's stomach started gurgling loudly. "I see," said Link, clearly not believing her. "Zelda, you've hardly eaten anything since the... well... you know. Why starve yourself like this?"

Zelda looked down at Link awkwardly. "It just... doesn't feel right, to have to eat so much. It going to cost Hyrule so much to feed me now and it just... makes me feel guilty."

"Zelda, please, don't worry yourself over that," Link said scoldingly. "We've got the resources to feed you and you know it. Please, just eat, OK?"

Zelda stared at him for a moment longer, considering what he had said. She grudgingly admitted to herself that he was right and there was really no point in starving herself. Reaching down with her huge hands, she picked up the barrel and dumped its contents into her mouth. There were barely enough apples in the barrel for three mouthfuls.

After she had finished, Zelda looked down to see that Link was chuckling to himself about something. "What's so funny?" she asked shortly.

"What? Oh, oh it's nothing," he quickly replied, but the look on Zelda's face clearly told him she didn't believe him. "Well, er, it's just what you talked about last night, about getting married and stuff."

"Yeah, what about it?" asked Zelda, now feeling a bit hopeful that Link had reached a concrete decision.

"Well, I just thinking, about how... I dunno... how FUNNY it would look if you're still like this when we get married. I mean, it would be really..." Link suddenly stopped himself, realizing that he probably made another mistake by talking about Zelda's predicament in such a fashion. But when he looked up at Zelda again, he could see that she was quite amused by the idea too.

"I'll say. When it comes time for you to kiss the bride, I'll have to pick you up!" she said teasingly, clearly enjoying the conversation.

"And where would we find a wedding dress big enough for you?" Link went on, glad that Zelda was finding this so humorous. "I don't think there're any your size. It'd take ages to make one for you!"

"And they'd have to make sure the aisle is wide enough for me, otherwise I'd be liable to knock people over as I walk down," Zelda went on in a giggly voice. "It'd be a wedding no one in Hyrule would ever forget, that's for sure."

"Hey, it's not every day that a twenty-two foot tall girl gets married," said Link, who was now giggling too. "Or a girl so beautiful, for that matter," he quickly added.

Zelda instantly blushed a bright shade of red, and she bent down to give Link a soft kiss on the head. Link relished the feel of her soft lips pressing against him, and how her long strands of hair cascaded all around him, tickling him. "Just don't make me wait too long, OK?" she whispered softly into his ear, her hot breath blowing all over him forcefully.

Link reached up and placed his hands underneath her chin, and then stood on his toes, planting a kiss on her lips. "OK, my princess," Link said softly. Zelda felt her heart flutter as she felt the light, feather-like touch of his lips against hers.

Then Zelda remembered something else she had wanted to ask about. "Link, um, when you were in the market town earlier, was any construction going on?"

"Yeah. They've been at it since early this morning from what I could tell," Link answered.

"Think they could use some help?" said Zelda.

"Well, I suppose they could use a hand, and..." Then Link realized what Zelda was getting at. "What, Zelda, YOU want to go and..."

"Like I said before, I can't ignore my duties," Zelda interrupted. "I pledged to help rebuild Hyrule, and I intend to keep my word. Besides, with my size, I bet I could help finish rebuilding the town in no time flat!" She then began crawling to the barn's exit. "You coming?" she called out to him. Link, seeing that she clearly intended to go help out in the market, followed her out.

As soon as Link stepped outside, he felt Zelda's hands grab hold of him and hoist him up. "Huh, Zelda, what..."

"I'll give you a ride," Zelda said in that teasing voice of hers as she lifted Link over her head. She set him down so that he was essentially riding piggyback on her shoulders. "OK, let's go," she said to him, and with that, Zelda briskly walked out of Lon Lon Ranch and out onto Hyrule Field. Within no time at all, the two of them were at the gates of the market town. Link was amazed at how quickly Zelda had reached the entrance to town; it would have taken him more than twice as long by running, and Zelda had only walked.

For a moment, Zelda seemed to hesitate in front of the town entrance, as if trying to decide whether or not to go in. Link knew it must have been because Zelda was still apprehensive about everyone seeing her. "Zelda? You don't have to do this, you know," he told her as he hopped down from her shoulders.

"No, Link. I-I need to do this," Zelda answered quickly. "Everyone now knows about what's happened to me. I might as well just show myself and get it over with."

"You sure about this?" Link asked, still not certain it was such a good idea. "I mean, the people hearing about you is one thing, but actually SEEING you..."

"Yeah, I know," Zelda said flatly. "But I just... I just can't hide forever." And so, gathering her wits, she walked forward into the market town, with Link running in behind her.

As Link had said, plenty of people were out and about, working tirelessly to finish rebuilding the town. But once Zelda walked into the center of the town, all activity abruptly stopped as everyone started to stare up at her. Zelda's mouth suddenly felt dry. All those people staring nervously at her... Would they all turn and run in terror, or did they really think of her as a hero now, as Impa had said?

"She's even BIGGER than they said!" said one woman.

"No wonder she could wipe out those monsters!" said another.

Zelda slowly looked around her, at all the confused and nervous faces looking up at her. _I was afraid of this,_ she thought to herself. _They ARE scared of me. I knew I shouldn't have..._ "WHAT'S WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU!" called out an irate, admonishing voice from beside her. Zelda quickly looked down to see Link standing next to her, eyeing the crowd angrily. "Impa told all of you about it! Stop looking so shocked! And she's the one that practically wiped out the rest of Ganon's monsters, like Impa said! We all owe her for that! Especially me... I'd be DEAD if it wasn't for her! Not only that, but..."

"Link, please, that's enough," Zelda said meekly, finally finding her voice. She didn't sound angry, but I was clear to Link that she wanted him to stop. She really aprreciated how he vouched for her, but yelling at everyone like that wasn't really going to help much. Getting down on her knees, she began to address the crowd. "Look, I know I look really scary, but you've got to believe me when I say I don't want to hurt anyone," she told them, speaking softly and trying to sound unthreatening. "It's still me, the princess. I've just had... had an accident. I-I still want to make Hyrule the way it was before. I-I came here today to help with rebuilding again..."

For a while, no one said anything. It seemed as if Zelda's words had had no effect. But soon, one by one the townsfolk began to bend down on one knee and bow: the traditional Hylian way of showing deference to royalty. Although Zelda was glad to see they had finally accepted her again, she hated the way they were showing it; she had always hated it when people bowed to her. "Please, everyone, there's no need for that. I don't want to be treated like royalty; right now, I just want to be treated like everyone else."

* * *

After the initial shock of Zelda's sudden appearance in the market town wore off, things eventually got back to normal and work in the market town resumed. And Zelda soon found a suitable place to start working, so she had gotten down on her knees and got to work rebuilding one of the old store buildings down the back alley. 

As Zelda expected, her gigantic size made working on the buildings ridiculously easy. Planting the support beams and doing the masonry work turned out to be child's play for her; the whole building was practically finished after barely an hour! In fact, it brought back childhood memories of when she built model buildings. She had delighted in building entire model towns when she was a kid. The silliness of it all made Zelda smile to herself as she continued her work.

Occassionally, though, out of the corner of her eye, she would catch some people staring up at her in an uneasy manner as they walked by. She kept telling herself to just ignore it, that it was to be expected that people would tend to look at her in a curious, sometimes even in an apprehensive, way. After all, women over twenty feet tall weren't exactly a common sight in Hyrule. But it still bothered her the way some of the people stared at her. At least Link didn't seem to care about her size...

"There, that's finally done," Zelda said to herself as she laid the final brick in place. "Now to let it sit a while, then get started on the roof." She sat back and looked at her handiwork. It was amazing how quickly she was able to do all this work. _If I can keep this up, I could finish the town by sundown! Or maybe even finish rebuilding the castle!_ Being stuck with the power of the Giant's Mask was turning out to not be such a bad thing anymore. _But-but I as long as I stay this size, I guess it's OK. But if the mask's magic kicks in again... Oh, I don't know what I'd do..._

Zelda then sensed someone slowly approaching her. Having previously been wrapped up in her brooding thoughts, she hadn't noticed. Looking down, she saw a young brown-haired Hylian girl standing by her, probably no more than five or six years old, looking up at her curiously. She didn't seem to be the least bit fearful; in fact, it seemed as if she was looking at her with a sense of amazement. _Finally, someone else who isn't afraid,_ Zelda thought to herself. Out loud, she said, "Well, hi there. What's your name?"

"Um, Marie," said the little girl. "Wow, are you really the princess?" Zelda really had to listen closely to be able to hear the girl's tiny voice.

"Yeah," was all Zelda said.

"And, um, did you really save everyone from all those monsters?" she asked querulously.

"Uh, I hate to brag about it, but yeah, I did," replied Zelda.

"Wow, cool!" exclaimed Marie. "You're the coolest princess ever!"

"Uh, thanks," Said Zelda, not quite sure how to respond to that.

"Say, do you think one day I could grow up to be as big and strong as you?" she asked.

Zelda had to stifle a laugh; this kid was pretty funny. "Sorry, kiddo, what happened to me was a fluke. Besides, it's not really all that great, being like this."

Marie looked genuinely disappointed at this. "But-but, you'll always be here right, to save us from monsters?"

Zelda paused for a moment before answering. "Yes. Yes, I will be. Well, as long as..."

"Zelda, how's the store coming?" said Link, walking up to the princess. He then noticed Marie. "Hey, who's this? Made a new friend, Zelda?"

"Well, yeah, I guess I did," said Zelda, looking back over to Marie and flashing a smile, who smiled back.

"Marie! Marie, where are you?" came a loud voice from down the alley. Zelda turned in the direction of the voice to see an older Hylian woman.

"Mommy!" cried Marie as she ran towards the woman, who promptly picked up the little girl.

"Come on now, Marie. Time to go home," the woman told her daughter. Before turning to leave, however, she looked up at Zelda. Saying nothing, she quickly turned around and exited the back alley. Zelda let out a sigh of frustration. Despite what Impa had said, the people of Hyrule were obviously going to be skittish around her.

"Don't let it get to you, Zelda," spoke up Link, correctly guessing what was on the princess's mind. "Give them time, they'll get used to you."

Zelda turned her gaze over to Link. "Th-thanks, Link. I don't know what I'd do without you..."

"AIIEEEEEEEE!"

"ACK! A MONSTER!"

The terrified screams of the townsfolk snapped both Link and Zelda to attention. "Sounds like trouble," said Link as he drew his sword and ran toward the center of the town.

For a moment, Zelda stayed where she was. _Link can probably handle this,_ she reasoned. But, a Moblin attack, here? Surely they know I'M here right now, and attacking like this in broad daylight? This doesn't make any sense! I'd better check it out too. And so, Zelda stood up and briskly made her way to the center of town.

What she saw was even more confusing. There weren't any Moblins at all; all there was was the single Wizzrobe that she had encountered before in the hideout, hovering by the path that led to the Temple of Time. Still, it was enough to induce panic in the townsfolk, as they were all fleeing. _So, it survived,_ thought Zelda glumly, disappointed at finding out that that particular monster had escaped her. _What's its game, though? It must know it can't beat me. And where's Link?_

She spotted him nearby, with his bow taken out and an ice arrow charged up. Link let his arrow fly, but as soon as it got near the Wizzrobe, it was deflected, as if it had hit some sort of barrier. _It's as if it used Nayru's Love,_ thought Zelda. _But how? A creature of darkness can't use spells like that. Wh-what's..._ Then she saw it; a glassy, black-tinted sphere was beginning to form around the hovering Wizzrobe.

Then something even more unexpected happened: something seemed to be extending outward from the black sphere. It was as if long, obsidian-like rods were branching outward from it. Then the rod-like things bent, resembling the legs of a spider. Then it became obvious that that was exactly what these things were supposed to be: eight long (as long as Zelda was tall) , powerful, spidery legs. Soon, all eight legs were firmly planted on the ground, and Zelda could still see the Wizzrobe encased in the murky, black sphere, glowering wickedly at her.

_Oh no. This must be some new spell it came up with just to fight me!_ Zelda reasoned. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Link moving in closer, this time with a light arrow powered up. "Link, no! Get away from there!" she screamed.

But her warning came too late. The Wizzrobe lashed out with one of the legs, catching Link unawares and smacking into him, sending him flying through the air and slamming painfully into the side of a two-story building. It looked as if he had been knocked unconscious.

"OH NO, LINK! LINK!" shrieked Zelda, horrified by the sight of her beloved Link getting struck down so easily. She then turned to the Wizzrobe, fists shaking and teeth clenched in anger. "That's it! You want a fight, YOU GOT ONE!"

Zelda charged rashly at the creature, and it easily stopped her advance by lashing out again with a spider leg, hitting her on the side of her head. Zelda could taste her own blood, and felt two of her teeth pop out of her gums. She was momentarily stunned, and it gave the Wizzrobe time to stick two of the spider legs together and club her with them. The impact knocked Zelda backwards and almost made her fall over. Then it advanced and clubbed her again, and this time it managed to knock her off her feet and into the air. She crashed into the front of one of the newly-rebuilt buildings (the one that used to house the bombchu bowling alley) and her massive size and weight caused the walls, and pretty much the entire structure, to crumble instantly. Bits of masonry and wood flew everywhere, and Zelda's impact sent up a big cloud of dust and dirt.

"Ugghh," muttered Zelda weakly, stars swirling in front of her eyes. It took a while for her to realize what had just happened. _Argh! That one took almost a week to finish, and now... GAAHH!_ she thought dejectedly. So much work had gone into rebuilding it, and she destroyed it in a matter of seconds just by falling into it!

Zelda got back on her feet, and she saw the spidery structure walking in front of her. But then it merely stood in place. _Huh? Why isn't it attacking? What's it..._ Then she noticed it was glowing, as if it was gathering power. _Oh no, its lightning bolt spell!_ she thought panickingly, realizing what the Wizzrobe was planning to do. Zelda quickly collected her own magic power and used Nayru's Love, and the lightning bolt reflected harmlessly off of the magical barrier.

However, the bolt was deflected at a store building right across from her, and it completely leveled the store in an instant. _WHAT! I... it... damnit, if this keeps up, the whole town will be destroyed!_ Zelda thought to herself angrily. _Got to stop it now before anything else gets destroyed!_

Zelda used her magic power again, this time calling upon Farore's Wind. She teleported directly behind the Wizzrobe's spider structure and reached back with one hand, collecting even more magic power. She then flung her arm forward, her palm outstrecthed, and unloaded the destructive force of her magic into the sphere surrounding the Wizzrobe. Her plan seemd to have worked; her enemy was caught by surprise and the force of her attack knocked it forward a couple dozen feet. Clearly, her attack had staggered the monster.

Then Zelda tried another move. She jumped forward at the spider and concentrated her power in the ball of her foot, then lashed out with a kick, striking the sphere with her heel. This time, her power had a greater effect. The Wizzrobe's spidery creation shot forward like a cannonball, crashing right through the remains to the building Zelda had fallen into. Zelda heard it crash into the buildings in the market town's back alley as well. _Oh great, there's goes more buildings,_ she thought as she walked toward the back alley entrance. _Time to crush that thing for good._

The back alley was barely wide enough for her to walk through, and it made Zelda extremly nervous. _Oh great. In this narrow space I'm a sitting duck. Damn, and where is it?_ Eventually, she came upon the back alley building that the Wizzrobe's spider had impacted. Zelda bent down to look inside. The building's interior was a complete wreck, and it was obvious where the spider legs had flailed about and caused even more damage, but there was no sign of the Wizzrobe itself. _Argh! Where is it?_ through Zelda, shaking her head angrily.

Then she heard a skittering noise from behind the row of buildings. Zelda instinctively looked up, and a second later saw the Wizzrobe's spider lean over the roof of the wrecked building. And it had a lightning bolt spell already charged up, and it promptly fired it at Zelda before she could even react. Zelda was struck down so brutally and so quickly, she couldn't even muster a scream.

Fortunately for Zelda, she was now so huge that one lightning bolt wasn't enough knock her out altogether. Still, the Wizzrobe had managed to render her helpless, and decided to take advantage of that. It reached down with four of the spider legs and grabbed hold of her, a sticky goo being secreted at the ends of the legs to hold on to her. Then it hoisted her high into the air and brought her giant body crashing down onto another building - the very building Zelda had been working on moments before.

Zelda was in a half-daze, but she still realized what it was the Wizzrobe had done. And it served to make her even angrier, both with her enemy and with herself. Still, she couldn't muster to strength to fight back. She still couldn't even move...

And so, the Wizzrobe continued to carve a path of destruction through the back alley. It slowly walked through it and used Zelda's massive body like a wrecking ball, slamming her into the sides of some buildings and bringing her body downward forecfully onto others, smashing them to pieces.

It was as if the Wizzrobe was deliberately doing this to torment Zelda, taking a sick pleasure in slowly destroying everything she and her fellow Hylians had worked so hard to build - destroying it with her own massive body! And Zelda... all she could do was watch helplessly as the Wizzrobe continued to destroy everything, overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness and her utter frustration with herself.

_No... no... I can't let this go on... I have to fight back..._

Zelda mustered all the strength she could, and used Farore's Wind again. She used it just in time too, for the Wizzrobe was just about to slam her body into another building. She vanished in a wisp of swirly, yellow wind, and rematerialized in the central square of the market town. "Urrgghh!" she shrilled angrily as she tried to stand up, clutching her aching head. _Urgh, I'll lure it back out here, where there's more space,_ she thought to herself, her lips contorting into a bloody snarl. _I can't believe this... that thing used ME to destroy so much! And if anyone was still in those buildings..._

Zelda didn't even have time to complete that thought. She could hear the skittering noise again, and saw the Wizzrobe's spider walk out of the ruined back alley and out into the central part of town again. "That's it... I've got you now!" she shrieked, collecting a massive ball of energy with Din's Fire and hurling it at the Wizzrobe.

But her plan failed. The fiery ball of energy rebounded off of the glassy sphere, the same way Link's ice arrow had bounced off...

And it was deflected toward the two-story building that Link had slammed into, and he was still lying right in front of it. The fireball smacked into it and immediately set it on fire. Not only that, but it had caused the front wall to start to crumble, and it came crashing down. Zelda could only watch in horror as the debris fell down onto Link.

_Link... no... no..._ thought Zelda, her mind unwilling to accept what her eyes had just seen. Link was surely dead... and she was partly to blame for it. And this time, it was no dream.

Zelda slumped down to her knees, her eyes fixed on the wreckage of the building that her magic had totalled. She was in a total state of shock, totally oblivious to everything around her. Even the Wizzrobe's spider thing that was advancing again...

And then, there was a blinding flash of white light that went off nearby, and the Wizzrobe's spider staggered backward. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rauru standing near her. Obviously, he had used his holy magic to ward off the Wizzrobe, but Zelda really wasn't paying any attention. All she could think about was Link...

And as the Wizzrobe was forced backward, Darunia jumped off from atop one of the buildings, clutching a piece of a shattered wall. He brought it crashing down onto the Wizzrobe's sphere, and a loud cracking sound could be heard throughout the market town. Cracks could now even be seen forming in the Wizzrobe's sphere. But again, Zelda took no notice. She could still only think about what she had done to Link...

The sphere housing the Wizzrobe unceremoniously fell to the ground, and the spider legs sprawled out everywhere. Rauru and Darunia's combined efforts had apparently been enough to finally bring it down. Satisfied that the monster had been brought down, the two Sages walked over to Zelda. They started to say something to her, but Zelda was hardly listening.

"Sorry, we took so long getting here," said Darunia apologetically. "Moblins were attacking other places, obviously to keep anyone from coming here to help."

"And I was away from my temple at the time. I didn't even realize anything was going on until I sensed your pain," explained Rauru. "By the way, where is Link?"

The mention of her lover finally snapped Zelda out of her state of languor and she lifted her head, looking down at the two Sages. Then she looked over to the flaming wreckage of the building Link was by and pointed at it. "There. He's dead, and it... was because of me!" It was finally too much. She buried her face in her hands and the tears started flowing, and all Darunia and Rauru could do was stare up at her and watch helplessly.

Then another lightning bolt engulfed all three of them. The Wizzrobe had recovered and was on the offensive again. Darunia and Rauru were immediately rendered unconscious, and the bolt caused Zelda to fall face-first onto the ground, overwhelmed with fiery, knife-like pain, even worse than what she had suffered in the Moblins' hideout.

A few seconds later, Zelda could feel herself being lifted up off the ground. The Wizzrobe was hoisting her up with two of the sticky-ended spider legs, and was rearing back with a third legs, as if it was planning to run Zelda through with it...

Through tear-drenched eyes, Zelda looked at her attacker again. The monster that had wrecked so much of the town and was partly to blame for Link's death. In that instant, Zelda's sorrow and despair turned into venomous, seething rage. No, she wasn't going to let this monster get away with all it had done...

The Wizzrobe flung its spider leg forward to skewer Zelda, but she was ready. She reached out with both hands and grabbed the end of its legs before it could run her through. Then she used her power to send magical shocks through the Wizzrobe's spider structure. It was enough to force the Wizzrobe to relinquish its hold on Zelda. She fell to the ground, but immediately got back up to face the Wizzrobe again; her last trick hadn't stopped it for long and it was getting ready to charge again. The feelings of hatred and rage built up within Zelda again, eclipsing even the horrific pain her body was going through...

Suddenly, Zelda felt that same surge of power again, the same thing she had felt in the Moblins' hideout. _Uh-oh,_ thought Zelda. _The Mask's power... Link said it might be triggered when I'm angry or hurt... OH NO!_

Then it started. Everything around her looked like it was getting smaller: the Wizzrobe's spider, Darunia and Rauru's unconscious bodies, the buildings, everything. And it was happening even faster than before. And this time, it didn't stop when everything looked only half as big as before; this time, she wasn't just doubling in size again! When it was finished, she was FIVE TIMES as big as she was before!

Breathing heavily, Zelda looked all around her. _Oh Goddesses, this can't be happening... I'm-I'm ENORMOUS!_ Everything had looked so small before when she was only four times her normal size, but now that she was TWENTY times her normal size... And from her new vantage point, she could see all the destruction caused by her fight with the Wizzrobe. _Ack, I can't believe this!_ she thought furiously. _We all worked so hard to rebuild our town, and now..._

Down below, she noticed something glowing brightly. Looking down, she saw the Wizzrobe charging up another lightning bolt spell. The bolt hit her dead center, but with her incredible new size, it was nothing but a mild shock to her now. All it made her do was flinch and stagger backward slightly.

In desperation, the Wizzrobe began to charge up another lightning bolt, but Zelda wasn't going to let it attack again. With one swift motion, she reached down and grabbed the Wizzrobe's sphere; it was nothing more than a ball to her now. She peered inside the black sphere and saw the Wizzrobe inside, its face contorted in terror. And it had good reason to be scared...

Zelda forcefully threw down the Wizzrobe's spider structure onto the ground, causing the sphere to finally shatter. The Wizzrobe was now lying down on the ground, exhausted and weak. _Time to finish this for good!_ Zelda thought vindictively as she lifted up her foot. She then brought her foot down onto the fallen Wizzrobe, squashing it flat underneath her shoe. And her stomp created a powerful tremor that rocked the entire market town and could be felt as far away as the castle...

At last, it was over. The Wizzrobe was defeated and the people were safe. _But what now? What about me? I-I'm so-so..._ She looked all around her again. So much destruction had been wrought, and she was partly responsible for it. And now, she was absolutely gigantic... over a hundred feet tall! Everything looked so incredibly small and fragile. Now she was an even greater danger to her people...

Looking down, she saw Darunia and Rauru's tiny bodies, and her feet were dangerously close to them. _Oh! One false step, and I could've ended up..._ Then she noticed that in the entranceway to the market town from Hyrule Field, many of the townsfolk were standing there. They were all transfixed, staring over at Zelda with a mixture of awe and apprehensiveness...

Then she looked again at the flaming rubble of the house that had come crashing down onto Link and killed him. That had partly been her fault... Link had been killed by the sheer power of her spell. And that was before... now, the sheer power of her spells would be incalcuable...

_I can't stay here anymore!_ Zelda thought sorrowfully, the tears flowing once again. _I'm too big, too strong, too powerful! So much destruction, because of me! I might have been able to stay before, but now... now, I'm too dangerous! And, Link... oh Link..._ She looked at the wreckage again. Her beloved boyfriend, dead because of her. The pain... the heartbreak... it was too much. _I can't stay in Hyrule! I have to leave, for everyone's sake!_

With a speed that belied her titanic size, Zelda ran towards the walls surrounding the market town. She effortlessly leapt over the wall and landed onto the plains of Hyrule Field. She then proceeded to run south, past Lon Lon Ranch and toward Lake Hylia, creating a huge, thunderous tremor with each step she took.

And within moments, there was no sign of Zelda anywhere in Hyrule. It was as if she had simply vanished.

* * *

"Are you sure?" asked Impa as she stared at the burning remains of the building, the worry evident in her voice. 

"Yeah," said Darunia, who was holding a cold, damp cloth up to his aching head. "The princess pointed here when we asked her where Link was. And she said it was because of her." Darunia took another good look at the wreckage of the building. "D'you think he really..."

"It can't be," muttered Rauru. "Link has survived so much already. It's hard to believe he could be done in this way, so easily."

"I feel the same way," said Darunia. "But I don't see how..."

To the utter surprise of the three Sages, the rubble began to move, as if something powerful was stirring underneath it...

Then, something slowly clawed its way out of the rubble. It was Link, in his Darmani form, and he was very much alive.

"He-he's alright!" shouted Rauru excitedly.

"Brother! I... we... thought you were dead!" exclaimed Darunia.

Link took off the Goron Mask, transforming him back into his human self. "If I hadn't seen that fireball coming for me and slapped on my Goron Mask in time, I would be," he muttered in a strained voice. Link then took a good look all around him, seeing most of the townspeople standing about, nervous looks on their faces. "Wh-what's happened? What did I miss? Wh-where's Zelda?"

Impa and Darunia looked at each other nervously, then turned back to Link. "The princess managed to defeat that creature, but..." Her voice trailed off, clearly not wanting to go on.

"But what?" asked Link impatiently. "What aren't you telling me?"

"It happened again, Brother," said Darunia. "She grew again, far larger than before."

"And now, we have no clue where she is," added Rauru.

"'No clue'... What do you mean by that?" demanded Link angrily.

"She's fled from Hyrule, Link," Impa answered sadly. "She's gone."

* * *

Wow, two new chapters within one month. Looks like I'm finally getting on the ball. Too bad this is pretty much only the halfway point... 

Oh, and Cinder, it's a real honor to have this fic declared one of your 'Personal Favorites'.

So long,  
Grey


	9. Lost and Found

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 9: Lost and Found  
12-22-2004  
by Grey

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

Link just continued to stare down at the ground, right by the town walls where Zelda had left a pair of gigantic footprints with her high-heeled shoes. He couldn't get over how big those footprints were; she was probably now bigger than any monster he had ever faced, including the Twinmold! He then lifted his head up and looked at the trail of giant footprints that led away from where Zelda had landed after hopping over the walls. _She's gone,_ he thought sorrowfully. _I can't believe it.... she's gone._

Link heard someone walk up to him. "Link, I know how you feel," he heard Impa say. "This is hard for me too. We can only hope that the princess will decide to come home soon." Link didn't say anything, he wasn't even really listening; he just continued to stare at the trail of huge footprints that led southward. Clearly troubled by Link's silence, Impa went on. "You'll be happy to know that no one was killed, and that the Moblins that tried to keep the Sages away from the town were driven away, and...."

"Impa, you must let him be," came the voice of Rauru. "The princess's flight will be hard on all of us, but him most of all." Impa turned to look at Rauru, then back to Link. "Give him time, Impa. They became so close in the last few days, and now that's she gone... I'm sure you understand."

Impa let out a sigh. "I guess you're right," she said as she turned to walk away with Rauru, leaving Link alone, who was still staring listlessly as the footprint trail - something that painfully symbolized Zelda's flight from Hyrule.

_I guess growing a third time was too much for her. She was so worried that she'd hurt people and damage stuff before, and now that she's so big... I guess she figured it's what was best for everyone,_ Link reasoned. _But damnit, it isn't what's best! I need her! I love her.... I don't care if she's a giant!!_

Link took another look at the footprint trail. _And she thinks I'm dead because of her. No doubt that's eating her up inside. And what... what if she commits..._ Link shook his head violently, trying to banish that thought from his mind. _No, I can't let that happen. Damnit, I can't just stand here doing nothing!! I've got to go and find her!!_

Link took out the Ocarina of Time and played Epona's song. Within a few minutes, his trusty horse galloped up to him, and Link quickly mounted her and had her follow Zelda's trail. The trail led all the way to Lake Hylia's entrance. _I figured as much,_ thought Link as Epona leapt over the fence and galloped into Lake Hylia. Once they had reach the water's shores, Link dismounted and took a good look around him. No giant footprints could be seen anywhere within the Lake Hylia area, as if she had simply approached Lake Hylia and then just disappeared.

_Huh? Then where did she...._ Then Link slapped himself. _Duh. She can teleport, you idiot! She could be anywhere!_ he thought to himself angrily. _Argh! How am I supposed to find her?! What do I do?!_

And then Link felt a hot, stinging sensation on the back of his hand, just like when he had confronted Ganondorf in his tower... and when he had tried to escape from the Molbins' hideout. He looked at his hand and saw the Triforce symbol on the back of it, glowing with a fierce, violent radiance. Not only that, but he could feel something gently pulling at him, as if to lead him somewhere. _Huh? The Triforce of Courage, what's..._ Then it hit him. _It's reacting to Zelda's Triforce piece, pinpointing where she is! Zelda was able to do the same thing with me!_

Link's spirits instantly began to rise, now that there was hope of finding the princess. But then he remembered that Zelda was probably miles and miles away from Hyrule by now; with Farore's Wind at her command, plus the amount of ground she could effortlessly cover, there was no telling how far away she was.

He looked down at the waters of Lake Hylia; it was here that he made his return to Hyrule, using the waterways that led out into the ocean. And now, he could use them to get back out to the open sea. _Sooner I start, the sooner I find her,_ he thought resolutely as he put on the Zora's Mask. As soon as the transformation was complete, Link leapt into the lake and made his way back out to sea, letting the Triforce of Courage guide him.

* * *

Even with the briny ocean water clouding her vision, Zelda could see that she was approaching solid ground. Which was a good thing, since she had been swimming around aimlessly for over an hour.

After reaching Lake Hylia, she had rashly made a blind teleport, her mind overwhelmed with sorrow and pain, and ended up landing into the open sea. After that, she just started swimming; where she was headed, she didn't care. All that mattered to her was getting as far away from Hyrule as possible. And she was still so overcome with despair and guilt that she didn't notice a faint tingling in her hand....

Once Zelda was close enough to the mainland, she firmly planted her feet and stood up. If anyone had been on the shore at the time, it surely would have looked as if some enormous sea monster was rising out of the water. But it wasn't a monster, just a beautiful blonde-haired girl who stood over a hundred feet tall....

By rising out of the water the way she did, Zelda created a huge wave that engulfed practically the whole shoreline in front of her, scattering all the Tektites on the beach and forcing all the Leevers underneath the sands out of hiding. Then she slowly walked out of the water and onto the shore, her eyes closed and her back hunched over due to severe exhaustion. As she did so, she could hear the chitinous bodies of Tektites being mercilessly crushed to death under her feet. "Ergh," Zelda muttered to herself. That was all she needed just then, to be reminded of the damage she could do simply by walking around. If there had been any people on the beach....

Zelda slumped onto her hands and knees, breathing in short, erratic gasps. She had just spent over an hour swimming around in freezing cold water, and it had taken a severe toll on her. Not only that, she was still suffering from the injuries from her battle with the Wizzrobe; she could still feel aches and pains and bruisings all over her body, not to mention tear-inducing stings from where the salty ocean water had flowed into open wounds.

But all that pain was nothing compared to the pain she felt in her heart, the pain caused by knowing she was partly responsible for Link's death, and that now she was far too big and dangerous to stay around people. She could never go back to Hyrule.... never....

After a while, Zelda finally regained some strength and stood up. She saw the shoreline she had walked on was surrounded by a tall, steep, mountainous wall.... well, tall to a normal-sized person. For Zelda, that mountain wall could be scaled easily in two seconds flat. It was just another reminder of her absurdly great size and power.... size and power she didn't want.... size and power that made her feel like a freak of nature....

"BLEEAAA-CHOOO!!!"

Zelda let out a violent sneeze that she was sure could be heard as far as ten miles away. _Great, I must be coming down with a cold too,_ Zelda thought to herself. But she really didn't care about what happened to her anymore; she felt far sicker emotionally. Right now, all she really wanted to do was crawl into a hole and die....

Zelda began to slowly walk along the coastline, not really caring where she was going. All she wanted was to find a place where she could suffer in peace.

* * *

Link had no idea how long he had been swimming through the vast ocean waters, but he guessed it was about three or four hours. As for how many miles he had swam, he had absolutely no clue. He really wasn't thinking much or really paying any attention to his surroundings; all he was focusing on was the Triforce of Courage leading him to wherever Zelda was.

_I have to find her fast, let her see I'm still alive. If I don't...._ He didn't bother finishing that thought. Link couldn't bear the thought of Zelda committing suicide because she thought he was dead.

_Huh, is that land up ahead?_ Link thought hopefully as faint traces of a shoreline slowly came into view. Had his Triforce piece finally led him to wherever Zelda had fled?

Indeed, the shore law a few hundred feet before him. Filled with a renewed sense of hope, Link swam even faster, eager to get ashore and begin his search. Soon enough, he had made it onto solid land; a beach surrounding a huge wall-like mountain structure.

Link took off the Zora's Mask and looked around. "Funny, the ground looks soaked well beyond the water's edge...." he muttered to himself. Then it hit him: Zelda must have displaced a lot of water when she came ashore. "This must have been where she made landfall!" he cried excitedly. And if he needed any more proof, he got it in the form of dead, flattened bodies of several Tektites and Leevers. Link had to surpress a shudder when he saw all that.

Then Link noticed another trail of huge footprints leading farther down the shore. "Well, at least she's easier to follow on land," Link thought aloud as he took out the Bunny Hood and put it on, then dashed down the shore following Zelda's trail.

As he ran down the shoreline, Link could feel the Triforce piece in his hand burn more strongly than ever. _This is it! I've GOT to be getting close!!_ he thought excitedly.

After a while, Link came across what looked like the mouth of a huge cave in the mountain wall; the perfect place for a giant princess to hide. Link took off his Bunny Hood and slowly walked closer to the cave's mouth. Sure enough, he could hear the distinct sound of someone crying coming out of the cave....

"AAAAAAAA-CHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

Followed by what was undoubtedly the loudest sneeze he had ever heard.

"Zelda... I've found you, you're OK..." Link muttered softly to himself as he climbed over the rocks underneath the cave's entrance. Upon entering the cave, he didn't go far until the area around him was pitch black. Outside, the sun was beginning to go down, and the cave's entrance faced away from the setting sun. Link knew it would be too dangerous to fumble around in the darkness, especially when Zelda could accidently step on him.

Then Link remembered the trick he had used in the Moblin hideout. He took an arrow out of his quiver and powered it up with magic. This time, though, he powered it up as a fire arrow. Using his powered arrow like a torchlight, he descended further into the cave. From the reflected light, Link could see the cave was quite big and wide, yet he had a feeling Zelda needed to get on her hands and knees and crawl through.

As Link walked further and further into the cave, he saw several huge mushrooms sprouting out of the rocky soil. He recognized what kind they were: an edible type usually found in mountainous regions, especially in caves. At one point in his years of travelling, he had gotten lost in the mountains and had to live off those mushrooms for almost a week. He had never seen any this big though; they were several times bigger, some so big they could be used as platforms to stand on.

And as Link progressed, Zelda's constant sobbing steadily got louder and louder, and it seemed to echo all around him, assaulting his eardrums with its sorrowful sound. It was making Link depressed again; for him, the sound of Zelda crying was the worst thing in the world. "Zelda?! ZELDA!!" he cried out, thinking that if she heard him... knew he was alive... it would lift her spirits and she'd stop crying.

"BLLEEEAAAAA-CHOOOOOO!!!"

Link felt a sudden, violent rush of wind surge past him, blowing out the fire from his arrow and almost knocking him off his feet. "OK, I don't think she can hear me," Link muttered as he reignited his arrow and continued on.

Now the path before him was so choked with even bigger mushrooms, Link had to climb on top of them and hop from mushroom to mushroom in order to go further. As he did so, Link noticed the cave was getting wider and wider.

Soon, the sound of Zelda's sobbing was so painfully loud, Link was certain he was right in front of her. Link focused his magic and made his arrow put out more light. A few feet before him was what looked like a huge wall of thick pink cloth, the exact same shade of pink as the fabric of Zelda's dress. Link turned his gaze upward and saw the faint outline of Zelda's upper body towering over him, her arms tightly clutched around her midsection. He also noticed that the Triforce symbol was faintly glowing on the back of Zelda's hand, yet she seemed to take no notice of it.

"ZELDAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" Link yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping to finally get her attention.

The sound of Zelda's crying abruptly stopped; obviously, she had heard him. Link called out her name again, and this time, he could hear her gigantic body begin to shift and saw her beginning to bend over.

Link instinctively took a few steps back when he saw Zelda's giant form come closer to him, but he had forgotten he was standing on a giant mushroom and accidently stepped off the edge. He fell backwards, but managed to grab onto the edge of the mushroom with both hands to keep from falling off. However, he had dropped his arrow, and he heard its energy fizzle out. He was now in total darkness...

But not for long. All of a sudden, the area all around him became illuminated, not to mention a lot warmer. With the cave now awash with light, Link could see Zelda's gigantic face looming over him. Her face had an expression of suprise and utter disbelief. Her mouth hung open, the words apparently caught in her throat.

Link finally succeeded in pulling himself back up onto the mushroom. "Zelda, you're not seeing things. It's really me," he called out to her, knowing that Zelda must have been thinking she was hallucinating.

Zelda just kept staring down at Link, still not able to believe what she was seeing. Link continued to stare up at her, her face almost taking up his entire field of vision. Link could see that her cheeks were damp with freshly-shed tears and that her nose looked a little red, probably from a combination of crying and relentless sneezing. "Zelda, please, say something," Link implored.

Silence lingered for a moment longer, only broken by Zelda's occassional sniffling. Eventually, though, she found her voice. "L-Link?" she said meekly, her voice echoing around Link. "L-L-Link? H-how..."

"Did I find you?" Link finished for her. To answer her, he held up his hand, showing her the Triforce symbol glowingly fiercely on the back of it. Zelda briefly glanced at the back of her own hand, seeing it was glowing with the Triforce symbol as well.

Zelda shook her head violently, still not believing what was happening. "This c-can't... How did..."

"I survive?" Link finished for her again. "Does it really matter? I'm here now." 

Zelda didn't respond immediately; she just kept staring down at him. By some miracle, Link was still alive!! He hadn't died because of her!!

But even so, Zelda's despair didn't just disappear. _Oh, I don't believe how tiny he looks!!_ she thought to herself. Link looked no taller than three inches.... to her, he was merely the size of a child's toy! She could only imagine how monstrously huge she seemed to him now! "L-Link, please, don't.... get out of here, d-don't look at me...." she muttered softly.

"After all the trouble I went through finding you?!" Link snapped in an exasperated tone. "I don't think so."

"Link, please, I... I..." Zelda stopped, feeling another sneeze coming on. She stifled it, knowing that even a mere sneeze could seriously hurt Link, or even kill him. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Link cringing, as if he had expected to be blown away. "Y-you see?! I'm too dangerous to be around!!" she shrilled.

Her booming voice was excruciatingly loud for Link, forcing him to clasp his hands over his ears. To Zelda, the message was clear: keep your voice down or you'll blow Link's ears away. It was just another example of how easily she could accidently hurt people if she wasn't careful.

But that didn't faze Link one bit. Now that he had finally found his beloved princess, he was determined to stay with her. "Zelda, please, we've talked about this before!!" he called out to her, speaking loudly to make sure Zelda heard him. "I don't care how big you are... I've told you that plenty of times already!!"

"This isn't like before!" Zelda snapped, once again forcing Link to cover his ears. "Things were all right before this, but I'm way too big now. I'm too dangerous... there's so many ways I can hurt you just by accident. I'll blow you away with a sneeze. I'll destroy your ears if I don't talk softly enough. So many things could happen if I'm careless... I could step on you, I could sit on you... Heck, you're so tiny, I could even eat you."

Link had a fleeting vision of Zelda swallowing him alive, being forced down her esophagus and plunging into the dark depths of her stomach to be slowly dissolved in her digestive acids. "Brrr, please don't mention that again," Link said, shaking his head as if to banish the horrific thought.

"You see? I'm too dangerous. I-I can't, ahhh.... ahhh.... AAAAAAAA-CCHHHOOOOOOO!!!!!" Zelda quickly turned her head away from Link before she sneezed. _I almost did it again. Link, please, don't do this to me...._

"And I'm telling you I don't care!" Link shouted up at her. "I love you Zelda."

"I love you too Link. That's why I can't let you stay around me, it's for your own good," Zelda said sadly. She desperately wanted Link to be with her, but couldn't bear the thought of accidently hurting him. Link looked as if he still wasn't convinced, and she decided that he needed to be shown why he couldn't stay around her. "Link, you need to get an idea of just how big I am now," she said to him.

Link wasn't sure what she meant by that, but before he could say anything, he felt energized winds surging all around him. Link immediately recognized that it was Farore's Wind, but where was Zelda teleporting to?

An instant later, Link found himself standing outside on the coastline again, right next to the entrance to Zelda's cave. "Huh, but why... Zelda, where are..."

"Up here Link," came Zelda's crying, booming voice from up high. Link looked up.... and up. Zelda was standing at full height right in from of him. Now, for the first time, Link could clearly see just how much Zelda had grown. He had tried to imagine what her new size was like, braced himself for when he saw her again. But still, actually SEEING her at her new size, standing at her full height... to say that she looked daunting was a gross understatement. He was no taller than the heel of her shoe! The tallest building in the market town wouldn't even come up to her knee! Lake Hylia would be no more than a little kiddie pool to her! She was almost as tall as Hyrule Castle, and could easily demolish it with her bare hands! And if all the bosses he had ever fought were here now, including Ganondorf and Majora's Mask, he had no doubt Zelda could crush them all in no time, without even half-trying!

"See Link? You see how big I am now?" Zelda called down to Link, her voice seeming to completely surround him. "Even from here, I can see how scared you are. And I bet I know what you're thinking, that I'm bigger than all the monsters you fought in those temples," she continued, the sadness in her voice all too evident. "How can you think otherwise? I'm so big, I can't be considered human anymore. I'm nothing but a monster myself now, and, ahhh.... ahhh.... AAAAAAAAAAAA-CCCCCHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Zelda's sneeze was like a powerful clap of thunder, making Link involuntarily wince.

"NO ZELDA!! DON'T THINK LIKE THAT!! YOU'RE NOT A MONSTER!!" Link cried out, horrified that Zelda was harboring such thoughts. He yelled as loud as he could, hoping she could hear him. But Zelda didn't seem to notice; the size difference was too great and she was too far away to hear him now, no matter how loudly he yelled.

"P-please Link, just go," Zelda pleaded, clearly on the verge of another crying fit. "It's too dangerous to be around me. And you-you deserve better than to have a giant freak for a girlfriend." With that, she turned back to the mouth of the cave and slowly walked toward it.

"Zelda, no!" Link cried as he ran after her. Without thinking, he leaped up and grabbed onto Zelda's ankle.

"Huh?" Zelda yelped in surprise as she felt something softly touch her ankle. She looked down and saw Link desperately clinging onto her foot. "Link, what are you thinking?" she cried exasperatedly as she lifted her foot and wiggled it in an attempt to shake him off. It worked. Despite his best efforts, Link couldn't hang on to her ankle and was flung a few feet away, landing in the sand with a thud. "Please Link, don't do this. Just go," she begged.

But Link didn't listen. As soon as he got back on his feet, he rushed toward Zelda again. This time, he grabbed hold of the hem of her dress and tugged on it, as if he meant to climb his way up. "Zelda, I'm not leaving you!" he cried out, even though he knew she couldn't hear him.

But even though Zelda couldn't hear Link, the message was crystal clear: if you want me to leave, you'll have to use force. And Link knew that Zelda wouldn't dare use force, and she knew that he knew it. "Oh Link, you foolish boy," Zelda huffed as she looked down at him. Then she saw Link gesture to her, as if beckoning her to bend down. Letting out a sigh, Zelda obliged and bent down to a squatting position.

"Zelda!! Zelda, can you hear me now?!" she heard him cry out. But his voice was barely audible; it was little more than a whisper to her. She nodded, letting Link know that he could be heard. "Zelda, I'm not going to leave you!! I swore that I wouldn't abandon you!!" Link shouted up to her. "You've got to stop thinking you're a monster!! The Giant's Mask hasn't changed who you are on the inside, and that's what matters!!"

Zelda let out a sigh, but somehow, it didn't sound like a sigh of annoyance. Encouraged by the fact that Zelda wasn't protesting, Link went on. "Zelda, I can understand why you're afraid of hurting people, of hurting me!! I have to admit, you are kind of intimidating!! But I trust that you'll be careful, Zelda!! I trusted you before, and I trust you now!!"

Before, Zelda was firmly determined to have Link stay away from her, but now because of his words, her resolve was melting away along with her heart. What was it about him that made her heart race, that made her feel that things weren't as bad as they seemed? "Oh Link... I-I can't..."

"Listen Zelda, I'll prove I'm not afraid of you, and you can prove to yourself you're not so dangerous!!" Link called out to her, an inspiration having come to him. "Pick me up, hold me in your hands!! I trust that you won't hurt me!!"

_WHAT THE... Is he serious?!!_ Zelda thought to herself, not believing what she had heard. _That's crazy... I've probably got more muscle power in my pinky finger than he's got in his entire body! If I'm not careful enough...._

Link had expected she would be reluctant to try it, but he was convinced it would help her see that she wasn't a dangerous monster. "Zelda, please, it's OK!! You won't hurt me, don't worry!! I trust you, so can't you trust in yourself?!!"

For a while, Zelda just kept staring down at him, the look of disbelief not fading from her face. But slowly, ever so slowly, she moved her right arm and brought her outstretched hand down toward Link. "Uh, OK, climb on," she said timidly, still thinking it was a bad idea, but going along with it anyway.

Link shook his head. "No no, Zelda, not like that. I meant pick me up with your fingers and hold me," he told her.

"WHAT?!" shouted Zelda in disbelief. "You can't be serious!"

"I am," replied Link flatly. Then he lifted his arms up, as if beckoning her to pick him up. Zelda was still nervous about doing so, but Link's words echoed in her mind: **_I trust you, so can't you trust in yourself?!!_**

_All right, Link, I'll do it,_ she thought resolutely, moving her right hand to pick Link up. Link fought the instinct to jump backwards as he saw her enormous, tree trunk-like fingers coming closer to him. He had to prove to Zelda he had absolutely no fear of her whatsoever.

Zelda placed her fingers behind Link and then gently pressed her thumb against his chest. Link forced himself to remain calm as Zelda's soft fingertips gently pressed against his body. He nodded to her, letting her know that she wasn't holding him too tightly. Confident that she had a secure hold on him, Zelda slowly began to raise him off the ground.

_Oh my.... it's like he doesn't weigh anything!!_ Zelda thought to herself, feeling both scared and astonished. She brought her left hand up underneath Link to steady him and make sure her hold on him was secure. "L-Link?" she murmured uncertainly to him, bringing him closer to her face.

"I'm alright, Zelda," he answerd her, half-mesmerized by her huge, beautiful face. The sparkling blue eyes, the long, flowing golden hair, the pouty, kissable lips... the same face that had entralled him before, that had made him return to Hyrule. It didn't matter if she was now so gigantic, her face took up his entire field of vision. "You see, Zelda? You're not going to kill me just by touching me," he said to her reassuringly, rubbing her thumb with his hands. "Just because you're over a hundred feet tall doesn't mean we can't be together."

Zelda felt tears welling up again, but this time, they were tears of happiness. "Oh Link, th-thank you," she whispered, the sadness and despair finally lifting from her heart and soul. Feeling more confident, she brought her right index finger up from behind Link and gently petted his head with her fingertip. Link just closed his eyes and let Zelda continue to pet him, satisfied that his plan had worked in lifting her spirits. "Hey Link," said Zelda, making him open his eyes and look up at her again. "When you grabbed onto my ankle...."

"Uh, what about it?" asked Link, not sure what Zelda was getting at.

"You weren't using the opportunity to look up my dress, were you?" she asked coyly, a mischievious grin now on her huge face.

"Huh?! No no, I wasn't!!" Link said quickly, nervousness now permeating his voice.

Zelda just giggled. "Same old Link, still way too easy to tease," she said, a broad smile still on her face. Feeling more daring, she brought Link closer to her face.

"Huh? Zelda, what are you...." blurted out Link, unsure of what Zelda was doing.

He soon found out. Zelda brought him up to her mouth and planted a big kiss on his upper body, her soft lips practically engulfing him. Link, despite being taken by surprise, didn't mind the kiss one bit. Despite the unusualness of it all, her kiss felt very pleasant, making him feel completely at ease.

Then Zelda brought Link up to the side of her face and began to gently nuzzle his body with her cheek. Again, despite the weirdness of the position he was in, he found himself enjoying it. And the feel of Zelda's soft, smooth skin was... electrifying.

But what was it about being touched, hugged, handled and kissed by a girl so much bigger and stronger than him that was so pleasurable? After giving it some thought, Link realized it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that he was with Zelda again, and as long as they were together, nothing else really mattered.

After a while, Zelda brought Link back in front of her, a big happy smile on her face and tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks. "Oh Link, thank the Goddesses I found someone like you."

"And thank the Goddesses I found you," replied Link, feeling just as joyful and blessed as Zelda did. The two of them just continued to stare lovingly in each others eyes, Link held firmly yet gently in Zelda's big, strong hands....

**"BLLLEEEEEAAAAAAA-CCCCHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"**

The sneeze came so quickly, so unexpectedly, that Zelda had no time to surpess it. When Zelda opened her eyes, she saw Link was still held securely in her hands. But he had taken the brunt of her impossibly powerful sneeze, and had been sprayed all over, covered head to toe with mucus. Link just stared back at her with a bemused look on his face; he didn't look annoyed, only surprised.

Zelda, however, was horrified and extremely embarrassed. "Oh L-Link!! I-I-I'm so s-sorry!!!" Zelda spluttered out, running over to the water's edge. Before Link could protest, she quickly dunked him in the water to wash him off. "I-I'm so s-sorry, Link. P-p-please don't b-be mad at me," she stammered as she brought the dripping-wet Hero of Time back up to her face, fearful that he was angry at her.

Link couldn't help but to laugh at the absurdity of it all. "Oh come on, Zelda, you worry too much," he said to her, the laughter permeating his voice.

Zelda sat down on the beach, still holding her lover in her hands. "Thank you, Link," she said softly as she summoned up her magic energy, using Farore's Wind to teleport the two of them back inside the cave.

* * *

Yeah yeah, I know I'm WAAAY behind. Blame a couple of cyber-suited killing machines. That's right, Metroid Echoes and Halo 2 pretty much took over my life for over a month. Oh, and the fact that my computer's Internet cabilities were shot for such a long time didn't help either. You should just be glad that Zelda: The Minish Cap doesn't come out in America until January and I don't yet have a PS2 for Metal Gear Solid 3, otherwise it would've been a few more months until you read this chapter. :P

So long,  
Grey


	10. Race For The Cure

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 10: Race For The Cure  
2-13-2005  
by Grey 

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

Complete darkness once again swept over Link as the magic of Farore's Wind faded away. But as before, the entire cave became bathed in bright light. He looked up at Zelda again, who was still holding him only a few feet from her face. "How are you doing that? Is it Din's Fire?" he asked her. 

Zelda nodded and replied, "Yeah, it is. Pretty handy, isn't it?"

_She's able to use those spells in such creative ways; ways I never would've even thought of. No wonder she was chosen to wield the Triforce of Wisdom,_ Link thought to himself, admiring her creativity. Out loud he said, "Yeah, it sure is."

As Link continued to look up at Zelda, he saw some signs of injury on her face that he hadn't noticed before. For one thing, there was a bruise on the side of her head, probably from where the Wizzrobe had struck her with a spider leg. Not only that, there appeared to be several little scrapes and cuts all over her face. However, in Link's eyes, none of that detracted from her radiant beauty. Besides, it was sort of a testament to how Zelda could take a beating and still stand and fight, and as a warrior, Link had to respect that sort of resilience.

Still, Link voiced his concern. "Uh, Zelda, are you OK? It kinda looks like that Wizzrobe did a number on you."

The mention of her calamitous battle with the Wizzrobe made Zelda feel melancholy all over again, reminding her of the all the destruction their fight caused in the market town. "I'm OK Link, I'm a tough girl," she breathed softly, trying not to sound depressed.

However, as usual, Link caught on right away. "Zelda, there's something wrong, I can tell."

Zelda let out a sigh of defeat, deciding there was no point in keeping it from Link. "It's just that, that battle caused so much destruction, so much of all we rebuilt was leveled, and I'm partly to blame for it. That was the other reason I left Hyrule."

Link shook his head and said, "Zelda, you can't blame yourself for what happened. You were trying to protect all of us."

"I know, I know," replied Zelda exasperatedly. "But still, seeing all those buildings razed to the ground... I feel so guilty. And the way the townspeople were staring at me..."

Link tried to think of something to say that would reassure Zelda, but nothing came to him. He had at least shown Zelda that she wasn't going to kill him just by being around him, but how to convince her she wasn't a danger to everyone else? "Zelda, umm," said Link, struggling to find his words. "Do you, uh, plan to ever go back to Hyrule?"

Zelda let out another sigh. "I don't know, Link, I don't know," she said in a sorrowful tone.

"But... but you can't just stay away forever!" cried Link. "Hyrule is your home, and you and I... we worked so hard to save it. And a few days ago, it sounded like you were ready to get back to being the princess, despite what's happened."

"I know, Link, it's just... ehhh... AAAA-CHOO!" Zelda turned her head away just in time to keep Link from getting sprayed again. _Ugh, blasted cold! At least I avoided sneezing on Link this time,_ she thought to herself. Out loud, she continued, "I don't know, Link. I guess I need some time away, to think about everything..."

"Well, take all the time you want," said Link. "As long as I'm with you, nothing else matters."

"Huh? It sounded like you were going to be adamant that I go back," said Zelda, genuinely surprised that Link was willing to let the matter go so easily.

"Well, I really do think you should go back, but I didn't come all this way to convince you to come back. I came because I need to be with you," replied Link.

Zelda didn't say anything in response to that. Instead, she brought him back up to her lips and gave him another long gentle kiss, her lips practically smothering his body. _Oh Link, how can someone who's always been so shy around girls come up with such romantic things to say?_ she thought to herself as she kissed him.

She then brought him up right in front of her eyes, so she could get a good, long look at him. _Oh, it's just so weird!_ she thought as she examined him up close. _He's still the tough, rugged guy I know, but now, he looks so... so cute!_

Link just remained completely still and silent, staring into Zelda's enormous blue eyes. She was holding him so close to her eyes, he could see his face reflected in her pupils. He then felt Zelda's fingertip brushing against the top of his head again. Link closed his eyes, relishing her soft, gentle touch. "Link, you look so cute," he heard her mutter softly.

"Uh, thanks," was all Link could think of saying.

"And you look a little tired," added Zelda with a hint of concern in her voice. It was true, he was beginning to feel a bit worn out. Swimming non-stop for hours as a Zora would tend to tire out anyone.

It was then that Zelda's stomach grumbled loudly, practically echoing throughout the cavern. "Zelda, when was the last time you had something to eat?" Link asked her in a concerned voice.

"When you brought me those apples this morning," Zelda answered flatly. "Ugh, I didn't even consider this... how in the world am I going to find enough food?"

"Actually, all you have to do is look around you," said Link in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Huh?" breathed Zelda, surprised by Link's sudden answer, but she did what he suggested and looked around her. Aside from the rocky walls and gravelly floor of the cavern, all she saw were the tops of large mushrooms glowing in the light she was generating. "I don't get it, Link," she said, looking back over to him. All I see are mushrooms."

"Exactly. Those are edible, and a perfect source of nutrition. And they'll grow back in twenty-four hours, so you don't really have to worry about running out," explained Link.

"Really? Are you sure?" she asked nervously, fearing that Link was mistaken and that the mushrooms were poisonous.

"Trust me Zelda, I've travelled a lot and I know about these sort of things," retorted Link. "Go on, put me down and try some."

"Uh, OK," said Zelda nervously as she gently set Link down on a nearby ledge jutting out of the cavern wall. She then looked at the mushrooms all around her, still apprehensive about eating them. But it was true that she was very hungry, and she realized that she should trust in Link's judgment. So she reached down and grabbed a mushroom, which had a cap as big and wide as her hand, and ravenously gobbled it down. _Hmmm, not bad. Tastes kinda sweet,_ she thought as she swallowed the last of the first mushroom and reached down a for a second.

However, watching Zelda greedily stuff her face reminded Link of one minor detail. "Wait Zelda! You shouldn't eat those so fast!"

"Huh? What was that?" asked Zelda, who had just gobbled the second mushroom. "What did you say?" she asked, leaning down toward Link's ledge with her ear facing in his direction.

"I said you shouldn't eat those so fast!" he shouted again.

"Huh? Why not?" she asked curiously. She got her answer soon enough, for suddenly she felt gas rush up into her throat and...

"BUUUUR-UUUUURRR-UUURRRRPPP!"

Zelda's belch resounded throughout the cave, practically causing the very walls to shake. And since Zelda's mouth had been so close to Link when she burped, it was like hearing a Goron powder keg go off five feet away. _Urgh, I don't know if my ears can't take much more,_ Link thought grudgingly, holding his throbbing head.

"Oh Link, I'm sorry," whispered Zelda, careful not to talk too loud and add to Link's pain.

"Just be careful from now on, Zelda," shot back Link, his head still reeling. He sat down and rested his head on his knees. _And I thought her sneeze was loud,_ he thought.

Link didn't hear Zelda didn't say anything else. Instead, all he heard was the distant sound of... splashing water? Standing up and looking around, he saw Zelda on the other side of the cavern, hunched over something. Upon closer inspection he saw water over in that area, glistening brightly in the light Zelda's magic was generating, and Zelda was cupping her hands and bringing water up to her face to drink. _There's a freshwater spring in here?_ he thought curiously. _How did I miss that before?_

Once she wwas done drinking, Zelda scooted back over to Link's ledge. "Link, it's been a long, hard day. We're both tired from swimming here. Maybe we should get some sleep now."

Link nodded in agreement. "Yeah, now that you mention it, I feel ready to just pass out." Reaching into his supply bag, he pulled out his sleeping bag and unravelled it, setting it up on the ledge.

"Well, alright then. See you in the morning," replied Zelda as she lay down on the cavern floor, resting her head on a large mushroom. "Lights out," she said, and all of a sudden, the cave was plunged into darkness again.

However, Link couldn't fall asleep right away; there was still too much on his mind. _I sure didn't foresee our lives together being like this, living in a giant cave miles and miles away from Hyrule. At least with the mushrooms and the spring, she'll be fine here. Oh, but it's unfair how she has to sleep on the ground and I've got a sleeping bag..._

"AAAAA-CHOOOOO!"

Zelda's sneeze exploded throughout the darkness and made Link's ears hurt all over again. _Not to mention she has a nasty cold,_ Link thought. _Ugh, I should really go out and try to get her some medicine in the morning, but... how could I get a big enough dose for her?_

* * *

Link awoke to the sensation of the gentle rays of the sun peeking through the cave and striking the ledge he was sleeping on. "Urgh," he groaned as he sat up, rubbing his eyes and stretching. A good night's sleep had served him well; all of the aches and pains resulting from swimming so long as a Zora had gone away. 

_I wonder if Zelda's up yet,_ he thought as he got out of his sleeping bag and walked over to the edge of the platform. With the sunlight coming into the cavern, Link could clearly see Zelda lying down face-up on the cave floor, still fast asleep.

But Link could tell something wasn't right. Usually, when Zelda was asleep, she looked so serene, giving off an air of peaceful beauty. But right now, she still looked as if she was very tired, and her face... it looked pale, sickly...

"ZELDA! ZELDA!" Link called out as loud as he could, but Zelda didn't stir the slightest bit. And the ledge he was standing on was close enough to Zelda's head for his voice to be audible for her; something was very wrong.

Link's heart was starting to fill with dread. _Something's wrong with her, I know it, but what?_ he thought panickingly as he began to climb down the rocky walls of the cavern. _That cold can't have affected her like this; something else must have happened._

Once Link made it to the ground, he quickly climbed atop one of the large mushrooms. He then hopped from mushroom to mushroom until he was right in front of the one Zelda had rested her head on. He jumped toward it, but he realized too late that it was too far away. Luckily, some of Zelda's hair was dangling over the edge of the mushroom. Link reached out and grabbed hold of a lock of her hair, and began using it like rope to climb upward. He had half-expected Zelda to react in some way after tugging on her hair like that, but she remained completely motionless.

Soon enough, he was atop the mushroom Zelda was using as a pillow and was right next to her ear. He immediately realized that the area around Zelda's head was very warm, and it wasn't that way when she held him close to her face the previous evening. Link walked over to her cheek and placed his hand on it... it felt boiling hot!

_Oh no, she's got a fever! But what's causing it? She was fine last night!_ he thought. Deciding that he should wake Zelda up and ask her some questions, he walked back over to her ear. "ZELDA!" Link screamed into her ear. This time, there was a reaction; her head shifted slightly, and he heard her groan. Of course, from his vantage point, he had no way of knowing if she had even opened her eyes, so he yelled her name into her ear again. "Zelda, please wake up!"

"Urrr... ungh... Link...?" he heard her say wanly. Her voice wasn't very loud, and Link had a feeling it wasn't because she was trying to keep her voice down.

"Zelda, you're burning up!" exclaimed Link. "You gotta tell me, just how badly do you feel?"

"Ugh... it's hot..." Zelda muttered weakly. "I can... barely move... so exhausted... I feel sick..."

"Zelda..." said Link softly, not sure what to ask next.

For a while, Zelda didn't say anything else either. But eventually, she spoke up again. "Urgh, my left arm... it stings... Wh-What's wrong... with me..."

_Huh, left arm?_ thought Link as he looked over in the direction of her body. Unfortunately, he couldn't see anything unusual from his vantage point. _I'll have to go over there and take a look,_ he thought as he jumped off the mushroom and grabbed hold of Zelda's bronze shoulder pad. After quickly pulling himself up, he slowly walked down Zelda's arm, looking for anything unusual.

It didn't take long before he found something. As he came to her elbow, he could see a large gash in her glove about thirteen feet long (pretty much the entire legnth of her forearm) , and the cloth right around it was stained red with blood. _She must've been wounded from her fight, but how is... Uh-oh,_ thought Link, hoping that this didn't mean what he thought it meant.

Link walked over to the cut on Zelda's forearm and pulled back the silky cloth of her glove to get a better look at her wound. What he saw was exactly what he had feared; the area inside the cut looked purplish-red and swollen. Clearly, Zelda's open wound had become a nasty infection.

_Oh no, staying in the ocean with an open cut for so long must've caused this!_ Link thought to himself as he ran back up Zelda's arm. Link knew all about that type of infection; if left untreated, the victim would surely die. Fortunately, red medicine could usually cure the infection when used as a topical treatment on the wound in time. But because of Zelda's immense size, getting enough red medicine for her wound would be a problem. And how was he supposed to get any when he didn't even know where the nearest town or medicine shop was?

Link stood on her shoulder pad and stared at Zelda's face... her face looked so pallid, her cheeks a ghastly shade of white. Link knew that meant he had very little time before her infection became incurable. _I've got to go and find her medicine, before it's too late! But I have to do something about her fever, or that'll kill her first!_ He took out his bow and powered up an ice arrow, aiming it at Zelda's forehead.

_Ack! What am I thinking, shooting an arrow at Zelda?_ he thought angrily, hesitant to fire off a magic arrow at his girlfriend, despite how necessary it was. _Ugh, I guess it's the only way to keep her fever down,_ he realized, and finally let the arrow fly. It struck the red gem on her tiara, forming a circular sheet of ice five feet in diameter over her forehead. Link then fired off another ice arrow, just to make sure there'd be enough ice to keep Zelda's head cool enough until he returned with medicine.

Now that that was over with, Link ran back down Zelda's arm and down to her hand, which was touching the ground. _Gotta move fast!_ he thought as he pulled out the Goron Mask and put it on, then rolled out of the cave and back onto the beach.

Once he was outside, Link continued rolling as a Goron along the shore, looking for any signs that would point out the location of a town, city or medicine shop. At first, he found nothing of the sort. However, he did spot a slope that led up the mountain range. Reasoning that there might be a better chance of finiding civilization up in the mountains instead of on the beach, Link rolled full-speed up the slopy path.

The path took Link up to the top of the mountain, and it also went down the other side. And on the other side of the mountain range was a beautiful forest with impossibly tall trees... a forest that seemed vaguely familiar...

_Wait a minute,_ thought Link as he uncurled his Goron body and took a good look around him. Yes, this forest looked VERY familiar. It looked just like the forest where...

_I don't believe it! This is the forest where I ran into the Skull Kid again!_ Link thought to himself as he continued to look around him. After closer inspection, there was no doubt that it WAS that forest, and it looked exactly like it did that fateful day seven years ago when the Skull Kid had stolen Epona and led him to Termina. _And if this is that forest, then that means..._ Filled with a sense of hope, Link pulled out the set of drums that served as the equivalent of the Ocarina of Time in his Goron form. He quickly performed a little tune with the drums, and almost instantly, a pair of large, white wings materialized behind Link. They wrapped themselves around him, forming a feathery cocoon. The cocoon began spinning rapidly, and then with an explosion of snow-white feathers, it was gone.

* * *

Once again in human form, Link ran through Clock Town, clutching an empty barrel. _Wow, coming back here brings back memories. Then again, I guess when you keep reliving the same three days over and over again, the areas you keep revisiting tend to stick in your memory,_ he thought as he took in all the familiar sights. Even though Clock Town had expanded a lot since he had saved it from the moon, but the basic layout was the same. And that was a good thing, considering the urgency of the situation. 

Soon he made it to the western sector of Clock Town, which still had all the same shops from the first time he had been here. Also, the person who he was looking for was still located in the West Clock Town: the banker. "Hey, it's been a while," said Link as he walked up to the banker.

"Uh, do I know you?" the banker asked him, obviously not recognizing him.

"It's me, Link. Remember seven years ago, when it looked like the moon was going to crash into the Earth?" Link replied hastily, certain that mentioning that frightening event would jar the banker's memory.

"Ah, yes, of course. Now I remember," said the banker. "My you've grown. And you still have the same type of clothes..."

"Look, I'm really in a hurry," interrupted Link, the impatience evident in his voice. "I need to buy red medicine and lots of it. How much did I have left in the bank seven years ago?"

"Uhhh, let me think," said the banker, trying to remember how much Link had deposited. It took all of Link's willpower to hold his tongue and not snap at him, telling him to hurry up. "Oh yes, I think you had 5499 rupees saved up," he said after a lengthy pause. "How much do you want?"

"All of it," said Link matter-of-factly.

"WHAT?" cried the banker in disbelief. "You're not serious are you, taking out all that?"

Link just gazed at him icily and thrust the empty barrel in front of him. "Fill 'er up," he said to him flatly.

* * *

Link stampeded out of the passageway that led to Termina in his Goron form, and on his back he had tied down six barrels filled to the brim with red medicine. The weight of those barrels was quite burdensome, and even with his Goron's strength they were difficult to carry. Furthermore, hefting all that weight made it difficult to walk, let alone run. 

But he had to run - Zelda's very life depended on it. It had been about thirty minutes since he had left Zelda's cave, transported to Termina, bought all the red medicine he needed, and made it through the passage that led out of the alternate world. There was still time before Zelda's infection would make her terminally ill.

But now came the hard part: getting the medicine back to Zelda. Since the owl statues were only set up in Termina, the Song of Soaring was now useless. And he didn't have Farore's Wind anymore, and even if he did, he couldn't use it to teleport the way Zelda could. Which meant he had to run the rest of the way.

For a while, Link was able to keep up a good pace, running about two miles through the forest within the timespan of around fifteen minutes, even though the Goron form wasn't well suited for long-distance running. But after running a third mile, Link's legs began to cramp up, and he was forced to sit down and rest his legs.

_Ugh, I need to rest, just for a little while,_ Link thought angrily as he sat down and rubbed his aching legs. For him, this was torture; Gorons were meant to travel long distances via the Goron roll, not by using their legs, and the fact that he was hefting such a heavy load didn't help matters any. Link had been able to push himself to overcome this limitation at first, but now it was clear he couldn't keep up that sort of pace for long. _But only as a Goron will I have the strength to carry all of these barrels! There's no other way!_

After a few minutes, Link felt well enough to get moving again. _Gotta move, every second counts!_ he reminded himself as he took off again, running as fast as he could. He didn't even run a hundred feet before his legs gave way again. _This is ridiculous!_ he thought dejectedly as he slumped to the ground once more.

For a while, Link just sat there trying to catch his breath. _I don't believe this! I managed to find medicine, but now I can't get it to her!_ he thought angrily, enraged at himself and his lack of endurance as a Goron. _At this rate, by the time I finally make it back to the cave, it'll be too late. And Zelda..._

Zelda... The woman he cherished more than life itself, the woman he'd do anything for, the woman he vowed to stay with no matter what happened, and once again she was counting on him to pull through. She was so beautiful and selfless and vivacious, but now, she lay dying in that dark cavern. He had faced off against the King of Evil to rescue her, swam hundreds of miles to find her again... and now, to lose her when he had the very means of saving her life tied onto his back!

_No... NO!_ Link thought resolutely as he stood back up on wobbly legs. _No, I'm not giving up! I'll get this medicine to Zelda even if kills me!_ And with that, he charged forward at full speed. Almost immediately, fatigue set in again; Link felt as if his legs were about to snap in half. But Link ignored it, shutting out the pain. The only thing that was on his mind was getting back to Zelda...

After running about two more miles, Link finally reached the mountain he had rolled over to reach the forest. _Good thing we can find each other with our Triforce parts,_ Link thought gratefully as he began to run up the mountain path, his legs exploding in pain with each step he took. It was true that without that ability of each Triforce piece to home in on other pieces, he would never have found that particular mountain again so soon. _Hey, I wonder how come Ganondorf never found Zelda that way, if the Triforce pieces can home in on each other. Maybe it had something to do with the Sheik disguise,_ Link thought curiously as he ran up the mountain.

Soon enough, he had reached the top, and the slopy path downward that led back to the shoreline lay before him. After pausing for a few seconds, he sped down the path, and in no time was back on the beach and heading directly for Zelda's cave.

As he entered the cave, Link was filled with a sense of triumph in knowing that he was within reach of his goal, despite the indiscribable agony of his aching legs and being on the verge of exhaustion. However, this inner jubilation made him a bit careless, and he tripped on a rock and fell over. This caused two of the barrels to break free of their bindings, and as Link got up, he saw them roll downward into the cavern. Before he could even take a single step, they collided with the stem of a giant mushroom and broke open, their contents splattering all over the place.

"Oh no!" Link cried out, mentally kicking himself for being so clumsy. He wanted to make sure he had as much red medicine as possible, and now... would only four barrels be enough for Zelda?

A few minutes later, Link made it to the heart of the underground cavern where Zelda was lying, still in the same position that he had left her in. Wasting no time, he ran to Zelda's left size, climbed onto her hand, and walked up to her forearm. He could see Zelda's chest slowly rise and fall with the last bit of sunlight that was peering into the cave, so he knew she was still alive. But as to whether or not the infection was beyond treatment... "Please... please don't let it... be too late," he thought aloud as he sat down on her arm, facing the infected laceration.

Link reached behind him and undid the knots of rope that held a barrel of medicine in place. Reaching behind him, he grabbed the untied barrel and brought it in front of him. He opened it and began to pour the red medicine onto the wound as he sidestepped along the length of Zelda's forearm. Afterwards, he smeared and rubbed the inside of her wound with his powerful Goron hands, just to make sure the medicine was spread throughout the infected areas. After that was done, he went and repeated the process with the three remaining barrels of red medicine.

It was finally done. Utterly exhausted, Link sat down at Zelda's elbow junction and stared at her medicine-drenched wound. _Did I get back in time?_ he thought fearfully, the uncertainty tormenting him as much as the excruciating pains in his legs and back. He took off the Goron Mask and transformed back into his Hylian self, but it didn't change anything. The exhaustion from his ordeal as a Goron carried over to his human form, much like how the previous day swimming as a Zora made him tired even after taking off the Zora Mask.

But Link's attention was more focused on Zelda's infected cut. Did he make it back in time? Was he able to save the girl he loved? He stared fixedly at it, as if he could make the medicine work faster through force of will. It would be quite some time before it showed any visible change, if the red medicine had any effect at all. _Come on, Zelda. Give me a sign..._

All of a sudden, Zelda let out another explosive sneeze that caused her entire body to shake, including her left arm. This flung Link off of her arm and he plummeted about ten feet, smacking onto the cavern floor back-first. If the floor of the cave had been rock instead of dirt, his spine probably would have shattered. Still, the impact hurt a lot.

"Ergh, that wasn't the sort of sign I meant," he spat out dejectedly, his aching back hurting worse than ever. He tried to get up, but found that because of the pain in his back it was impossible. He was simply too hurt and too tired. "Zelda..." he muttered weakly as his felt consciousness slip away, his body finally giving in to severe exhaustion.

* * *

When Link finally awoke, it was to the sensation of water being splashed all over his face. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. All he could see was the blurry outline of a hand with the index finger outstretched. As he slowly regained his bearings, he realized he was still lying down, but instead of tightly-packed dirt, it was something soft and warm... 

As his vision came into focus, Link realized that the hand was being held high above him, and that it was a really big hand, and that the index finger looked wet and dripping, and it looked pink, and...

"Huh?" muttered Link as he sat up and looked around him. From the looks of it, he was still in the cave, only it had become illuminated again. And he was sitting in the palm of a giant, gloved hand. "Oh... does this mean... Zelda?"

"Link?" he heard her say, her voice seeming to come from everywhere. "Link, are you awake? Are you alright?"

Link looked upward and saw Zelda's enormous face looming over him, gazing down upon him with a curious look. "ZELDA!" Link exclaimed jubilantly, unable to contain his happiness. He had succeeded in saving his girlfriend, despite all the odds. "Zelda! You're alright? You're cured?"

Zelda's expression now changed from one of concern to confusion. "Cured?" she whsipered, her brow furrowing. "I don't... what do you..."

"That cut on your arm, it was infected. I had to go find you red medicine to cure it," Link quickly explained.

"Oh," was all Zelda said.

"Zelda, how do you feel? Do you still feel sick?" Link asked, still worried that the sickness might still be ravaging her body.

"Well, I feel kinda hot, I still feel tired, and ahhh... ACCHH-OOOOO!" Zelda quickly lifted her head and turned away from Link before she sneezed. "And I still have this blasted cold. But I don't feel that bad. How sick was I?"

"Sick enough that I had to shoot you in the head with an ice arrow to keep your fever down," Link answered morbidly.

Once again, all Zelda could say was, "Oh."

Link just kept gazing up into Zelda's huge face. Indeed, from the looks of her face, she seemed much better now. That ghastly, pale look was no more, and once again, she looked so alive, so sprightly...

"Heh, it's funny," Zelda said all of a sudden, snapping Link out of his euphoric state of gratefulness. "Even with my size and strength, I needed you to save me yet again," she said, her voice carrying a tone of irony.

Link couldn't think of anything to say in response to that. Indeed, it was very ironic how the life of someone so gigantic was almost ended by the tiniest living things on Earth. But Link didn't find it funny at all; he had almost lost the love of his life.

"My hero," Zelda said lovingly, bringing her hand up to her face and giving Link a peck on the head.

* * *

OK, I bet all the people who've told me they're anxious to see how Zelda's gonna get back to normal are pretty pissed at me for dragging on the story like this, especially when this chapter's title made it sound like I was finally getting around to that. Don't worry. I promise, next chapter will be when I reveal how it'll be done. 

Oh, and another thing, for all you Zelda fans who haven't bought The Minish Cap yet, stop reading this crap and go get it now. Trust me, this is the best Zelda in years; more than makes up for the disappointing Oracle of Ages and Wind Waker.

Oh yeah, and Happy Valentine's Day, or something.

So long,  
Grey


	11. Unmasking

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 11: Unmasking  
3-20-2005  
by Grey 

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

Link pulled out his boomerang and deftly threw it at the advancing Blue Tektite, which was now only ten feet away. His aim was, as usual, perfect, and the boomerang's impact stunned the creature. This gave him the opportunity he needed. He caught the returning boomerang, unsheathed his Great Fairy Sword and jumped toward the dazed Tektite, bringing the blade down onto it and slicing it in half. 

But the monsters populating the beach didn't give Link so much as a second to catch his breath. A Leever suddenly surfaced about five feet in front of him, kicking up a huge plume of sand. And Link heard two more emerge behind him.

He decided to deal with the one in front of him first, closing in on the Leever just as it began its spinning motion and moved toward him. With three broad swipes, Link effortlessly felled the monster, then he left his sword out and let it collect power. Once he heard the two Leevers behind him get close enough, he unleashed his fabled spin attack, killing them instantly.

However, no more Leevers emerged from the sands after that, and no more Tektites were approaching either. It was as if the rest of the creatures were unwilling to fight the Hylian intruding on their shores, or perhaps he had killed all the ones in the immediate area. Whatever the case, Link was disappointed; after being so inactive for the last few days, he felt he needed a lot more exercise. As it was, he had gotten only three minutes of serious combat time.

Letting out a sigh of annoyance, he turned toward the ocean. He could see Zelda's head sticking out of the water, about two or three hundred feet from the shoreline.

It had been a week since Zelda and Link had left Hyrule. For most of that time, the two had remained in the cave, simply relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Occasionally, Zelda had gone out for walks along the expansive shoreline, with Link tagging along, sitting on her shoulder. But this morning, Zelda had felt the need to wash up in the ocean. So as she did so, Link had been practicing, fighting the beasts on the beach.

The last few days certainly had been strange for Link... he still hadn't quite gotten used to how huge Zelda was now. Sure, he had seen all sorts of other incredibly huge beings in his lifetime, but those were all hideous monsters. But here was an actual human being that had attained monstrous proportions.

And with the way she held him in her hands and smiled down at him, how she lifted him up to her face and gave him gentle little nuzzles and kisses... Link felt less like her boyfriend and more like a pet mouse when he was around her. Yet, for some unexplainable reason, he still found he liked the feeling of being totally in her power, of being her prized possession...

Link saw Zelda's shoulders rise above the water, and realized that she was walking toward the shore. Soon, Zelda was standing on the beach again, the ground all around her being splattered by the water dripping from her soaked dress. For a moment, Link was again overcome with awe as he stared up at her enormous body, her shadow looming over him.

"Link, back away. I need to dry off," Zelda told him, motioning for him to get clear of her. Knowing what was coming, Link did so immediately. Once Zelda saw that he had reached a safe distance, she concentrated and used Din's Fire. With its heat enveloping Zelda, her dress and her skin were dry within seconds.

Zelda took a couple small steps toward where Link was now standing, and slowly squatted down to look at him. "Hey. Have a good workout?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I suppose," answered Link. "Zelda, was it necessary to do that? You finally got over that cold, and..."

"I used Din's Fire to warm the water around me," said Zelda, cutting Link off. "Besides, I hadn't bathed in over a week. I know you didn't want to say anything, but I bet I was stinking up the cave." Link didn't say anything in response. It was true that Zelda's sweaty smell was beginning to get a little overpowering, but there was no way he could have brought himself to say anything about it...

"Of course, now I just smell like brine again," Zelda said jokingly. She then brought her hand closer to Link, as if to pick him up. "It's a beautiful morning. Care to take a walk with me?" she asked hopefully. Link simply nodded. Smiling, Zelda carefully plucked Link up off the ground and stood up. Then, just as carefully, she set him down on her left shoulder. "All set?" she asked him, her voice booming in Link's ears.

Link cautiously walked over to her neck and sat down, leaning against it and grabbing hold of the cloth of her collar. All around him, strands of her blond hair dangled like thick vines. "Now I am," he called out to her.

And so, Zelda began her walk along the beach, careful to go slowly so as not to throw off her passenger. "It's quite a view from up here, isn't it?" he heard Zelda ask him. Link had to agree that the view of the beach from Zelda's shoulder was a very breathtaking one. From atop her shoulder, he could see that the shoreline extended for miles and miles.

Link then leaned over slightly to look at the ground below. Of course, his view of the world below was partly obscured by Zelda's breasts and the skirt part of her dress. Still, it once again gave him a sense of what the world was now like from Zelda's vantage point. _Unbelievable, everything looks so small from up here, the ocean waves, that school of killer whales, those two Tektites..._

**CRUNCH!**

_...that Zelda just accidently stepped on,_ Link finished the thought. He was able to clearly see how Zelda's foot had come down onto a pair of Tektites and squashed them flat. Link shuddered at the reminder of how Zelda could accidently kill anyone with one false step.

"Hey Link, isn't this the mountain you said you climbed over?" spoke up Zelda, jarring Link out of his thoughts. Zelda then turned to face the mountain range, and sure enough, the rocky wall in front of her had a slopy, worn path that allowed easy passage to the other side.

"Uh, yeah, that's it," replied Link. As soon as he had uttered those words, Zelda moved forward and began to climb over the mountainous wall. "Huh, Zelda? What are you doing?" he exclaimed as he tightened his grip on Zelda's collar.

"I want to see this forest where you ran into the Skull Kid," Zelda explained to him as she reached the top of the mountainous wall and carefully began climbing down the other side. Soon enough, Zelda was standing in an expansive forest on the other side of the rocky wall, one that Link remembered very well.

"Give me a bit of a warning next time!" Link barked irritably. Looking around, he saw that the trees didn't reach any higher than Zelda's waist. _Wow, I thought those trees looked pretty tall when I came here as a kid. But from up here, they look like flimsy little sticks!_

Zelda began traipsing through the forest, rustling the leafy treetops as she passed by. Oftentimes, she forced flocks of birds that were perched in the treetops to fly off, usually cawing back angrily at the princess. But Zelda ignored them, focusing instead on the beauty of the forest itself. "It's beautiful," Zelda commented. "Not as densely forested as the Kokiri's, but a lot more expansive, and... OWW!"

A sharp, stinging pain in her ankle alerted Zelda to something going on down below. Looking down, she saw that a Peahat had surfaced nearby and was sending out little drones at her; one had sliced into her ankle. "Ack! Get away!" snapped Zelda as she kicked the Peahat away. This sent it soaring high into the air, and it landed hundreds of feet away.

"You're handy to have around," Link spoke up. "Those things gave me no end of trouble back in Hyrule." Zelda just sighed and walked onward.

Soon, Zelda came upon a more open area. Glancing downward, she saw what looked like small entrance into the remains of a tree. She got down on her hands and knees, and peered into the hollowed-out log that led into the inside of the dead tree, but it was too dark inside to make anything out. "Link, is this it? Is this the gateway you told me about?"

Link hopped down from Zelda's shoulder and walked up to the tree's opening, looking into its inky-black depths. Coming here again was bringing back vivid memories of what had happened seven years ago. Chasing the Skull Kid into this passageway to get back the Ocarina of Time and Epona, getting transformed into a Deku Scrub, befriending Tatl... it marked the beginning of the most dangerous adventure of his life.

"Uh-huh," answered Link. "This leads to Termina."

"Wow, I'd really like to see it, but I think the passageway's a wee bit too small for me to fit through," said Zelda with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Can't you just teleport there?" asked Link.

"Uhh, I can't really teleport somewhere if I don't know the lay of the land," explained Zelda. "If I make a mistake, I could materialize inside a mountain or in the ground, and... And besides, teleporting into an ALTERNATE DIMENSION..."

"Oh," was all Link said in response. He turned from Zelda and looked back at the passageway.

"Link, what's wrong?" asked Zelda, getting the feeling that something was on Link's mind.

"Oh, oh it's nothing really," Link said as he turned back to face Zelda. "I-It's just that this is where I got all those masks, including the one that did this to you."

Zelda just stared down at Link for a moment, trying to think of something reassuring to say. "Link, you're not to blame for that and you know it," Zelda said empathetically. "You had no idea something like this would happen. It's not like you're an expert on magical masks or anything."

"Yeah, I'm not..." Link started to say, then he fell silent, his eyes suddenly widening. Zelda couldn't quite make out the expression on his face, but it sort of looked like... realization. Link then walked over to the tree and, to Zelda's utter surprise, he started hitting his head repeatedly against it, and sounded as if he was uttering curses at the same time.

"Link! Link, stop it!" Zelda cried out. She reached out and picked Link up off the ground, then brought him up to her face. "What's wrong, Link? What are you..."

"I'm an idiot, Zelda. I am a complete, total idiot," Link said as he wriggled in Zelda's uncomfortably tight grip, his voice full of self-loathing. "I can't believe I didn't think of this before... there IS someone who's an expert on masks, someone who could have helped us as soon as the accident happened."

"There... is?" asked Zelda in a confused voice.

"I have to go back," said Link. "I have to go back to Hyrule."

* * *

All was quiet outside the Temple of Time when Link walked out in his Zora form. _It's best that I disguise myself for the time being,_ he thought as he made his way into the market town. 

As soon as he stepped out into the central area of the town, Link couldn't help but notice all of the activity. Everywhere he looked, people were hard at work repairing all the damage from the deadly fight between Zelda and the Wizzrobe over a week ago. Even Mutoh's crack carpenter team was there lending a hand.

_At least I can tell Zelda that Hyrule's still well on its way to being totally rebuilt,_ he thought to himself. Sighing, he walked over to his destination: the rebuilt Happy Mask Shop. _It's a good thing he's settled back here. If he was still a travelling salesman, I would've had no hope of finding him._

"Ahh, good morning, sir!" Link heard the mask salesman say in his sly, oily voice as he walked inside the store. Link looked over to the store counter. There he was, just as he had remembered him, and still flashing that freaky smile. He had always found the mask salesman disturbing for some reason, and he hadn't relished the idea of seeing him again. But he probably had information about how to lift the power of the Giant's Mask from Zelda, so...

_Ugh, I'll make this quick,_ Link thought. Out loud, he said, "OK, listen, I need your help again."

"'Again?'" echoed the salesman. "I don't understand. Who..."

Link then took off the Zora's Mask, reverting back to his human self. For a few seconds, the mask salesman just stared at Link. "Who, what are... oh yes, now I remember!" said the salesman, finally realizing who he was. "You must be that boy who got back Majora's Mask for me. My, you're grown up now."

"Yeah yeah. Look, you always seemed to know all there was to know about the masks I found," said Link, wanting to get to the point. "What do you know about the Giant's Mask?"

"The... Giant's Mask?" repeated the salesman, sounding surprised. "You mean, you found one of them?"

"ONE of them?" Link cried out. "Y-You mean there's more than one of those?"

"If I correctly interpreted the text from an ancient book I found in Termina, then yes," replied the salesman. "You fully recall how the land of Termina is watched over by four giant beings, right?"

Link simply nodded, and the salesman continued. "The language in that book was difficult to translate, but... I believe it mentions how each of the Four Giants created a mask that would imbue the wearer their great size, though I think it said they would only work under certain conditions." Hearing the salesman's tale made Link recall how the mask had only worked during his battle with Twinmold. It also made him realize he should have figured out there was some sort of connection between the mask and the Four Giants on his own.

"I don't think the book ever stated their purpose for creating such masks. If it did, I couldn't translate the pages that did," the mask salesman continued. "May I ask why you're interested in these masks?"

"Uhh, surely you've heard about what happened to Princess Zelda," said Link, not believing that the salesman hadn't pieced it together on his own.

"Oh! So you mean to tell me her growth was caused by one of those masks?" asked the salesman, now sounding even more surprised. "But this makes no sense. I had heard that her condition was irreversible. Surely, she could simply take off..."

"The mask was melted and its magic leaked out into her," explained Link, cutting him off. "And now, we can't find a way to lift its effects. I even tried your Song of Healing, but it didn't work."

"Oh, it didn't? Well, then this explains that other part I managed to translate..."

"What are you talking about?" asked Link.

"The book I found also said something about how all four masks are interconnected in some strange way," said the salesman. "I believe it mentioned how if something goes wrong with one mask, such as what has happened to the princess, then the problem cannot be remedied unless all four of the masks are brought together. Perhaps, if you were to obtain the other three masks, along with the damaged one, I could then find a way to lift the power from the princess and restore her to normal."

This was what Link had been longing to hear for over a week - a definite way to return Zelda to normal. But his instincts told him that it wasn't going to be easy. "Where are the other three masks?" Link asked uneasily.

"They are hidden in Termina. I believe the book said something about how the Four Giants built hidden sanctuaries to house their creations, similar to those temples you had to infiltrate," he replied.

"Was the Stone Tower Temple one of them?" asked Link.

"Uhhh, no it wasn't," answered the salesman.

"But that's where I found that first mask!" exclaimed Link. "What was it doing there then?"

The salesman merely shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows?" was all he said.

"Alright, then where are these sanctuaries?" asked Link impatiently, eager to get underway.

"Oh, I still have that book and in it, it pinpoints exactly where in Termina they can be found," he replied. "But... I'm curious, what can I expect in return for my services?"

Link eyed the salesman angrily. "We're talking about the crown princess of Hyrule. I'm sure she'll reward you for helping make her normal again," he hissed vehemently.

"Oh oh, I'm sure she would," said the salesman in that slick voice of his, a hint of smugness behind his words - smugness that comes from the knowledge that one has something that someone else desperately needs. "But, I would like a guarantee as to how much rupees..."

_Ugh, I should've expected he'd be such a money-grubbing slime,_ Link thought furiously. _But he's the only one who knows how to revert the mask's effects! If only Zelda could be here to discuss a price, and... wait a minute..._ Link's lips curled into a wicked grin as an idea came to him. "OK, how about I go bring back the princess, and you can explain to her that you want compensation?" he asked the salesman, this time with a hint of smugness in his own voice.

"The... the princess?" he asked nervously, his eyes widening.

"Oh yes, I can bring her back here, all 100 plus feet and 500 tons of her," Link said to him threateningly. "But then again, she's kinda in a bad mood this morning..."

Link's words seemed to have had their intended effect. "Well, uh, I s-suppose that we can discuss the m-matter of payment l-l-later," the salesman stammered. He then briskly sat up and dashed over to the bookshelf directly behind the counter, his body language still betraying a sense of nervousness. Link couldn't help but to smile to himself again.

Soon, the mask salesman found he book he needed and brought it back over to the counter, along with a large rolled-up piece of paper and a bottle of ink. "Here's a map of Termina, and I can mark on it where the book's map says the sanctuaries can be found," he explained quickly as he opened his book to the desired page and unrolled the paper. He hastily took his quill to the map and marked down the locations of the sanctuaries. "There, it's done."

Link snatched up the map and turned to leave. "Be ready for when Zelda and I come back," he called out as he walked toward the door.

"I expect a generous reward for this!" the salesman cried out. It was obvious he was trying to sound resolute, but Link could still catch the twinge of uneasiness in his voice.

"You can take it up with the princess when we return with all the masks," Link shot back. The salesman's face immediately fell. Even his trademark freakish grin vanished. Smiling to himself again, Link slapped the Zora's Mask back on and left the shop.

* * *

Zelda sat outside the passage that led to Termina, impatiently awaiting Link's return. _Could this mask salesman really have the answers we need?_ she thought to herself. _Expertise when it comes to special masks... who knew that was a stock in trade?_

She gazed listlessly into the cloudless, afternoon sky. It had been almost an hour since Link had used the Ocarina of Time to warp back to Hyrule. _Oh, how I wish I could go back too. I feel so bad about abandoning Hyrule like that. But, I'm liable to spook everyone again, or cause more damage. No, that'll have to wait until I get back to normal._

Back to normal... Zelda could hardly believe it - there was finally a possibility of getting back to her normal size! It couldn't happen soon enough. Her little 'vacation' from Hyrule had been enjoyable, sure, but she longed more than ever to be returned to normal size, getting back to being the crown princess of Hyrule, and most of all, having a normal life together with Link.

Yet, at the same time, Zelda found she was almost getting used to life as a giantess. Furthermore, she found that she was beginning to like how much power she had over Link. That feeling of power she got when she held Link in her hands, that look on his face whenever it sunk in that he was completely at her mercy, it was all so... intoxicating.

_Oh, what am I thinking?_ Zelda thought, mentally chastising herself for having such thoughts. _In a relationship, you're not supposed to lord over your lover! That's not how it works!_ Still, despite herself, she found herself once again thinking of how fun it was to hold Link in her hands and shower him with affection. Not to mention, she had a feeling he was beginning to like it as well...

"Zelda! ZELDA!"

Link's tiny voice calling out from down below managed to snap Zelda out of her troubled thoughts. Looking down at the entrance to Termina, she saw Link standing there, his neck craned up to look at her. "Link, you're back. Did you..."

"Yeah, I know what we have to do!" Link yelled up at Zelda. "Pick me up, and I'll explain everything." So once again, Zelda carefully picked Link up and set him on her shoulder, and then tilted her head slightly so that he could talk into her ear. Leaning into Zelda's ear, Link began to tell her everything the mask salesman had revealed to him: the origins of the masks, how they all shared a strange bond, and how he had to find the rest.

After Link had finished, Zelda remained silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. But after a while, she managed to break the silence, asking, "So, you're saying all you have to do is get the other three Giant's Masks, bring them back to Hyrule along with the damaged one, and he'll reverse its magic?" she asked him, her voice filled with a sense of uncertainty.

Link fought to maintain his balance on Zelda's shoulder as she spoke; it was hard enough to stand up on her shoulder and she wasn't doing a good job of being perfectly still for him. "Yeah, that's about it," he answered her.

For a moment, there was silence again. But when she spoke again, her voice was filled with regret. "Oh Link, this sucks. You're going to have to go and fight through trap-infested dungeons again, all because of me..."

"Zelda, if it means getting you back to normal, I don't care," Link replied compassionately. "I'll do anything for you Zelda. Anything."

Zelda felt a surge of gratefulness toward her beloved Link upon hearing those words, and fought back tears of joy. "Th-Thank you Link. What w-would I do without you?"

"Not have anyone to snuggle with," Link joked, once again hinting at how he liked the way Zelda toyed with him. "But we'd better get started. Let's go."

"Go? T-To Termina, you mean?" Zelda asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, I need you with me," replied Link. "I took a look at his map on the way back here. One of the sanctuaries is hidden really deep in Termina's eastern mountains, and I don't think I could reach it without you taking me there."

"B-But Link, I can't go there, I-I told you..."

"Not to worry. I think I know a way around that," said Link as he took out the Ocarina of Time. Playing the Song of Soaring, he concentrated on not only which owl statue in Termina he desired to be transported to, but on the fact that he wanted Zelda transported with him...

The end result: instead a pair of white wings appearing out of nowhere and wrapping around Link, a GIGANTIC pair of white wings wrapped around Zelda, with him still on her shoulder.

"LINK! Wh-what's going..." Zelda's voice was cut off as the feathery coccoon formed by the wings began spinning, and then it vanished altogether.

* * *

When Link materialized again, he was greeted not with the sensation of standing on solid ground, but of suddenly finding himself in midair. "What the... AAHHHH!" he screamed as he began to fall. 

Fortunately, he had only materialized a few feet off the ground, and landed hard on his butt. "Ooh, that smarts," he moaned as he stood up and looked around. He had arrived at his desired destination in Termina: Ikana Canyon. It was as dismal and foreboding as ever, and the thick, grey rain clouds that loomed overhead served to punctuate this sense of gloom.

But there was no sign of Princess Zelda. Needless to say, Link was getting worried that his scheme hadn't worked and he had failed to transport the princess to Termina with him. "Zelda! Zelda, where are you?" he called out in desperation. "Zelda, please, answer..."

All of a sudden, strange creatures wearing brown, leather hoods jumped up out of the rocky ground. Link recognized them instantly: the Garo, vanguard of the Ikana royal family. At least half a dozen had surfaced and formed a circle arounf Link, looking as if they were going to pounce on him. "Halt, intruder! You have entered the domain of Ikana! Go back whence you came!" one of them called out threateningly, one of its blades pointed menacingly at Link.

_Ugh, I don't have time for this!_ Link thought furiously as he took out his sword and shield, prepared to fight the lot of them.

But before either Link or any of the Garo could make a move, a loud, feminine voice cut through the canyon. "Link, there you are!" Link and the Garo turned in the direction of the voice; looking over the precipice was Zelda. She was standing at the bottom part of the canyon where the river was, and was looking over the cliff at the top part, where Link and the Garo were standing.

For a few seconds, no one moved or made a sound. Then, all of a sudden, all the Garo let out ear-splitting screams of terror, and they vanished just as quickly and as suddenly as they had appeared.

Silence still lingered a moment after that. The sound that next broke the silence was Link's laughter. "Oh, that was priceless," Link chuckled. "Even the undead are scared of..."

He stopped laughing when he looked up and saw the flat, expressionless look on Zelda's face. He had totally forgotten how sensitive Zelda was about how she instilled fear in everyone. "Uh, sorry Zelda, I forgot..." he began to say.

"Don't worry, Link," Zelda said flatly as she looked all around the canyon. "So, this is Termina," she muttered.

"It's not the most scenic part, that's for sure," said Link. "I can show you the rest, once we're done."

"I'd like that, Link. But for now, let's get to that first sanctuary," said Zelda, sounding eager to get started.

And so, Zelda began to climb over the mountain range around Ikana Canyon, with Link once again tagging along on her shoulder, hanging on for dear life. Link was amazed at how easily she could scale the mountains and climb over them; to him or anyone else, they would have been virtually impassable.

For a while, neither one of them said anything, but at one point Zelda spoke up. "Hey, isn't that the Stone Temple Tower over there?" asked Zelda, pointing at something far away.

Sure enough, Link could make out the faint outline of the final temple in Termina he infiltrated seven years ago. "Yeah, that's where I got the mask in the first place," Link answered glumly.

After another minute, Link spoke up. "OK, according to his map, we should be nearing the first dungeon," he said, holding the map in one hand and clutching Zelda's collar with the other.

"Actually, I think we may have found it," he heard her say. Looking down from atop her shoulder, he saw that down in the mounatin range below, it looked as if some great force had scooped out a section of the range, leaving a flat, circular area at the bottom. It looked about 100 feet in diameter and about 200 feet deep. "Hang on," Zelda order as she lowered herself into the massive pit.

"Set me down, I need to find the entrance," Link asked her.

"This must be it right here," said Zelda as she kneeled down and pointed to a boulder the size of her fist, which was leaning against the rocky wall of the pit. Indeed, it looked very much out of place.

Zelda carefully lifted Link off her shoulder and gently set him down on the ground, right in front of the massive rock. Link could now see that it was clearly blocking the entrance to some sort of underground cavern. "Thanks Zelda, this must be it. But how to move this? I don't have the Gauntlets..."

His voice trailed off as he saw Zelda's massive hand reach in front of him to grab the rock. She then lifted it up effortlessly, as if it weighed nothing to her. _Duh,_ he thought to himself. He then turned around and looked up at Zelda, saying, "OK Zelda, I'm going in."

"Just be careful Link," said Zelda, and blew him a kiss. Link flashed a smile, and then turned to enter the Giants' first sanctuary.

* * *

Finally, I'm getting to the final stretch of the story. I'm really enjoying writing this, especially since I set the record for the longest video game story with this... subject matter. But it's high time I wind it down. 

Oh, and I have to take back what I said last time about Minish Cap. It started out great, but it's one of those games that deteriorates as you get further. I swear, they don't make Zelda bosses and dungeons like they used to...

So long,  
Grey


	12. Fatal Attractions

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 12: Fatal Attractions  
4-11-2005  
by Grey 

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

Link didn't go very far down the narrow tunnel before it started to become pitch black. He reached for his quiver, planning to power up an arrow with his magic, but then he noticed a faint glimmer of light further down the tunnel. Link quickened his pace, heading for the light. Soon, he reached the other end of the tunnel, and was amazed by the sight that greeted him. 

He had stepped out into a large circular room. Right in front of him was a long hallway that had a locked door at the end of it, and on both sides of the room was a doorway.

But what had really caught his attention was how the whole room was ablaze with bright light. It was so bright, it was beginning to make his eyes sting a bit. But the perplexing thing was that there were no torches, fires or any other light sources to be seen. It seemed to be coming from... above.

Link looked up, and was immediately blinded by dazzling light. It forced him to immediately shut his eyes and turn his gaze back downward. Obviously, the room's light was coming down from the ceiling. _Amazing... it's as if the rocks outside soak up the sunlight and filter it in here,_ Link thought, marvelling at the ingenious engineering feat. _It reminds me... of the temple of the Desert Colossus, with the way light always found its way in._

Once Link was able to see clearly again, he took another look around the room, and was further reminded of the Spirit Temple. The color of the walls and floors, the masonry work of the sandstone block walls... just about everything looked identical to what was found within Nabooru's temple. He had once thought the the Stone Tower Temple's inner workings had resembled it, but THIS place mimicked the Spirit Temple PERFECTLY!

Link hoped that this sanctuary worked just like the Spirit Temple did as well. If it had light-based puzzles, he reasoned that they wouldn't be too hard, since all the rooms probably had sunlight coming in and he already had a Mirror Shield.

He contemplated all of this as he looked around, trying to decide where to go next. Going down the hallway was clearly out of the question, since he had yet to collect any keys. So, it was a choice of the door to his left, or the one to his right.

Link eventually picked to door on his right. When he went through it, though, he was greeted by something very different from what the first room was like.

It was a narrow passageway that had the same artitecture as the first room. But sunlight did not come into this area; the only source of light in this room were two wall-mounted torches positioned at the sides of the door.

But the light they gave off was enough to let Link see that he was now standing on a small platform with a strange metallic pole in the center, and that platform was all that was keeping him from plummeting into a black, bottomless pit directly below.

However, some twenty feet ahead of him at the end of the corridor, there was another platform that was in front of a door. And that platform had the same type of metal pole sticking out of the middle of it.

It was obvious to Link that the metallic poles had some significance, but he had no idea just what they were for. He took out his hookshot, stood at the edge of his platform, and fired it off at the pole; but as he had expected, it had no effect. Link then took out his bow and shot a light arrow at it; but again, nothing happened.

Lastly, Link decided to try using the Lens of Truth, but again, his efforts yielded no results. The poles did not look any different through the lens, and no invisible platforms were revealed either. Obviously, if there was a means for Link to get to the other side of the corridor, it was not yet available to him.

Sighing in defeat, Link went back through the door and into the first room, then headed for the doorway straight across, the only remaining path available to him. But once he went through the door and shut it, he heard an all-too familiar sound; metal bars sliding down through stone. He turned his head and, sure enough, iron bars had slid down in front of the doorway, preventing him from leaving.

A sonorous grunting sound made Link turn his gaze back toward the room he had entered. It was another circular room with light being filtered in from above, though its diameter was smaller than the main room's. And standing in the center of it was a big, grey-armored Ironknuckle, standing at least ten feet tall. But instead of an axe, this one wielded a giant hammer...

And without warning, the Ironknuckle swung its hammer and struck the ground in front of it, creating a powerful energy shockwave that travelled along the ground and right toward Link.

_Oh great, just what I need,_ Link thought dejectedly as he jumped to the side to avoid the shockwave. _The Moblin right in front of the Forest Temple did the same thing, and that was hard enough to beat..._

The Ironknuckle pounded the ground again, sending out another shockwave at Link. However, Link was once again able to jump aside in time. But then the creature began to move, making a loud stomping sound with each step it took.

Link knew that if it managed to get too close and corner him, it would flatten him with that giant hammer; this thing was obviously much more powerful than the Ironknuckles he fought in the past. Not only that, it seemed a bit speedier as well, despite its greater size; getting in close to use a sword on this one wasn't a very favorable option.

Realizing it was best to attack from a distance, Link pulled out a bomb and tossed it at the Ironknuckle's head. The bomb exploded upon impact and the Ironknuckle stopped advancing momentarily, but it did not look as if it had been hurt. Link then threw another bomb at its head. This time, he caused the Ironknuckle to slightly stagger backward, and it sounded as if he had damaged its armor.

But then, with surprising speed, the huge Ironknuckle did its hammer attack again. It had taken Link completely by surprise, and now it had gotten too close and he couldn't dive out of the way in time. The shockwave knocked Link off his feet and he flew backward, his backside smashing into the sandstone wall.

_OK, that hurt,_ Link thought painfully as he slid down from the wall and fell to the floor. He forced himself to get back up just as the Ironknuckle had walked up to him, ready to bring its hammer down. Link did a forward roll between its legs to avoid getting squashed flat, and then slashed at its leg with his Great Fairy Sword.

The Ironknuckle howled in pain as it whirled around and raised its hammer, once again surprising Link with its speed. Link backflipped to avoid getting flattened, and then tossed another bomb at its head. He then tossed two more bombs, forcing the Ironknuckle to back up into the wall. But despite having now taken five bombs to the head, it still seemed unhurt, and started advancing on Link again.

_This is nuts!_ Link thought angrily. _If only I could stun it so I could use my sword..._ Then it hit him. He pulled out his bow and powered up a light arrow, shooting it at the creature's head. His aim was dead-on, and it let out a screech as it dropped its giant hammer, covering its face with its hands.

_Gotcha,_ Link thought triumphantly as he moved in with his Great Fairy Sword drawn. While it was stunned, he came at it with a jumping slash, following up with four slashes to its midsection, and culminated his assault with a spin attack to its shins.

This was finally enough to fell the Ironknuckle. Letting out one final howl of pain, it fell backward, the whole room shaking as its body impacted the floor. An instant later, its entire body exploded in a puff of silvery vapor.

Then, a small chest materialized in the center of the room. Link pried it open with his foot and, as he expected, it contained a small key.

_Phew, all that just for one key? This may be tougher than I thought,_ mused Link as he snatched up the key and headed back out to the main room.

* * *

Zelda, who was sitting and leaning against the walls of the pit, once again looked down to stare at the entrance to the Giants' sanctuary. It had been about a half hour since Link had entered the dungeon, and she found herself wishing he didn't have to go in there alone. But, of course, there was no way she could even FIT inside. 

Thus, she was forced to wait outside while Link went in to retrieve the first of the three remaining Giant's Masks. And after only half an hour, she was starting to get a little impatient.

_Oh, get a hold of yourself!_ Zelda thought acidly, chiding herself. _You know these dungeons take him a long time to figure out. Stop being so impatient!_

But in truth, it wasn't really impatience she was feeling - it was worry. She was worried about how Link was facing unknown dangers yet again, and she had no idea how he was doing. It had been the same way whenever she watched him enter a Sage's temple, but now that the two of them had gotten so close, that sense of dread had intensifed.

Suddenly, an inspiration came to her. _I know, I'll talk to him telepathically!_ she thought hopefully as she began to concentrate.

But the hope that had flourished from this idea soon faded as Zelda realized something: if the sheer force of her magic has increased with her size, then the power of her telepathy would have as well. If she tried to contact Link telepathically, she could end up frying his brain.

Sighing in defeat, she slouched against the pit walls, wondering if things could possibly make her more miserable.

As if to answer her thoughts, a crack of thunder cut through the anguished silence. Looking up, Zelda saw that the storm clouds that had hovered over Ikana Canyon had blown over the mountains. And a heavy deluge of raindrops came down a second later.

_Oh great,_ Zelda thought dejectedly as she concentrated and used Nayru's Love to erect a diamond-shaped forcefield around her. _I'm stuck out here in the rain, and once again, Link gets to go dungeon-spelunking and have all the fun._

* * *

"AAAAAUUUUUGGGHHH!" 

For the third time in less than a minute, Link had barely avoided being burned to a crisp by a vicious, fire-breathing, three-headed dragon.

A minute ago, he had made his way into this square room after making his way through a series of rooms with light-triggered switches. And his efforts were now being rewarded by a fight with a bloodthristy dragon hell-bent on scorching him.

The right and center heads had just finished breathing a volley of fireballs, the volley that Link barely managed to avoid by backflipping away. Those two heads were gasping for breath, but the one on the left was rearing back. Link knew another volley would be coming his way, unless...

Link quickly took out his bow and readied an arrow. Just as the dragon's left head lurched forward to spew fireballs, Link fired an ice arrow into its open maw. The left head suddenly became covered in frost and it crashed to the ground, the other two heads screaming in pain. Wasting no time, Link rushed forward and sliced the head off with one downward swipe.

Now the center head swung down, trying to bite Link. But Link swung his sword at it when it got close, momentarily stunning it. He swiped at it two more times, and then it fell to the ground just as the left one had. One slash was all that was needed to slice off that head as well.

Now all that remained was the head on the right. Link turned to face it. He saw that it was preparing to breathe fire again, but he had ample time to backflip out of the way. He sheathed his sword and took out his bow again, hoping to stun it with an ice arrow the next time it breathed fire.

But out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two severed heads move again. A second later, they were floating in midair and turning to face Link. _Uh-oh, that can't be good,_ he thought.

One of the heads sped toward Link, attempting to ram him. As it was closing in, Link shot his powered-up ice arrow at it, freezing it solid while still suspended in the air.

This gave Link an idea. He jumped up as the other head swooped down at him and climbed atop the frozen, floating one, then turned to face the last remaining dragon head that was still attached to its body. By standing on the suspended head, Link was now high enough to attack the dragon with a jumping slash.

And that's exactly what he did, splitting the last remaining head in two with a single downward slash, finally felling the beast. The other two heads vanished in swirls of purple smoke, and a second later, the same happened to the dragon's main body. Once it had vanished, a gate door was revealed to have been behind the dragon, and it slowly slid open, allowing passage into a small niche in the wall that contained two treasure chests.

"Whew," breathed Link, glad to have finally taken care of the three-headed dragon. "Now let's see what's in those chests," he said, eager to see what his rewards would be. He anxiously approached the chest on the left, and quickly opened it.

It was empty.

"_What?_!" Link exclaimed. Never before during any of his dungeon-spelunking exploits had he come across a treasure chest with its contents already taken.

_Oh forget it, let's see what's in the other one,_ he thought as he walked over to the other chest. He tried to open it, but the lid would not budge. He tried again, putting more of his strength into it this time, but again he couldn't open the treasure chest. Then he reached into his supply bag, pulled out his Goron's Mask, and slapped it on.

With the strength of a Goron now at his command, he was finally able to pry to chest open and see what was inside. It contained a bronzed-colored gauntlet that went on his left hand, which looked similar to the Silver and Gold Gauntlets that had granted him enhanced strength. Link reverted to his human form and put on the gauntlet, but he felt no rush of power like when he had put on the Silver or Gold Gauntlets.

_I don't get it? What's this supposed to..._ His thoughts trailed off as he noticed something odd about the gauntlet. On the back of the hand, there were two small, circular pads that looked like they could pushed in, like buttons. The pad on the left had a big N on it, and the one on the right had an S.

Curious, Link pushed in the N pad. At first, nothing happened. But after a while, Link began to notice something strange was happening to it. It looked as if the hand area was changing to a greyish color. But upon closer inspection, Link could see that some sort of dust was being pulled out of the air and becoming attached to the gauntlet. And it looked... metallic.

_Metal particles in the air? But how..._ Then it dawned upon him. It was a magnetic gauntlet.

_Wow, I wonder how I'll be using this,_ Link thought as he took out the map he found earlier, trying to recall what was in the rooms he had already been in. He couldn't remember anything in them that seemed out of the ordinary, anything that seemed out of the way or any areas he couldn't reach. He hadn't come across any inaccessible areas, except...

Realizing where he had to go next, Link took out the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Soaring. Within seconds, he was back at the entrance to the sanctuary. He ran to the door on the right and went through it, once again finding himself in a narrow hallway-like area with a twenty foot stretch of bottomless pit keeping him from reaching the other side.

But now, Link was confident that he had the means to cross the chasm. Looking closely at the metal pole on the other side of the passage, he could make out a small S engraved into it. Link reached out with his left arm and pushed in the N pad on the gauntlet.

The effects were instantaneous. Link was propelled across the chasm, heading straight for the metal pole. He quickly pushed the button again to deactivate it before he slammed into the pole; his body was aching enough as it was without crashing into a metal pole at top speed.

There were some clay pots right outside the door. Link took out his sword and smashed them open. Inside were extra bombs and a big magic jar; exactly what he needed after fighting the huge Ironknuckle and the three-headed dragon. He quickly gathered up the goodies, then went through the door.

From his map, Link knew that it was another circular room, about the same diameter as the first one. But of course, it didn't tell him what was in it.

Now he knew. This room had no floor, just another bottomless pit, and a small platform extending beyond the door was all that kept him from falling into it. And in this room, no light was streaming in from above; torches along the walls were once again the only light source.

Looking up, Link could make out what appeared to be a stone ceiling, with light peering in through three lines that converged at the center. It was as if the ceiling was divided into three parts.

Looking toward the center of the room again, Link could see that there was another metal pole with an S engraved into it. Only this one was floating in midair, and it seemed to be rotating. Link also noticed that, once again, there was a door directly ahead, and a door to his left and right, but this time all of them were locked. Thankfully, he still had one small key.

_Oh, the things I get myself into,_ Link thought nervously, realizing what he had to do next. He reached out and pushed in the N pad on his gauntlet again, and he flew directly toward the hovering metal pole. Soon, Link's left hand was stuck to it, and that was all that was keeping him from falling into the black abyss below.

Now that he had attached himself to the floating pole, he noticed that the pole was indeed slowly rotating, in a clockwise direction. Breathing heavily, he looked over his shoulder and patiently waited for the pole to position him in front of the door that had been on his left. The sooner he got out of this unnerving position, the better. Who'd want to be attached to a floating piece of metal hovering over a bottomless pit?

Soon, Link could see he was positioned directly across from the desired door. He then pushed in the S button to repel himself away from the pole and over to the door. Once he was safely over the platform, he hit the S button again to deactivate the gauntlet for good. _Whew, back on solid ground,_ Link thought, breathing a sigh of relief as he unlocked the door. He certainly didn't relish having to do that again.

The next room turned out to be another long, wide hallway with a new, unpleasant obstacle. A series of wall-mounted flamethrowers lined the left wall. spewing forth intense flames that barred passage through the hallway. Even as a Goron, Link would be reduced to cinders if he tried passing through. _Argh, I wasted my key! I can't get through this! Now what..._

Then Link noticed something strange on the other side of the hallway; it looked like a huge metal sphere. Squinting to get a better look, Link could make out a big N engraved onto the sphere.

_Oh I get it now!_ Link thought triumphantly as he reached out and hit the S pad on the magnetic gauntlet. The ball immediately began rolling toward Link, and soon became attached to his hand. Not only that, he found that the magnetic gauntlet also granted the strength to lift heavy, magnetic objects attached to it.

Then Link proceeded to cross the hallway, the sphere positioned between him and the flamethrowers. As Link had hoped, the sphere was protecting him from the fire. Still, Link could feel the super-intense heat from the flamethrowers enveloping him as he slowly made his way across them. It wasn't long before his clothes became drenched with sweat.

Thankfully, it didn't take too long to get by the flamethrowers. Once he was safely at the other side of the hallway, Link was perplexed by what had awaited him: just a small treasure chest and a floor switch. He pulled out the Lens of Truth to see if anything else was hidden, but that was it. All the Lens revealed was that a small key was in the chest.

Deciding that the switch must have some significance if it was blocked off by flamethrowers, he stood on it to press it down. At that instant, the fire from the flamethrowers ceased. Furthermore, Link heard a faint rumbling sound that he was certain came from the last room. He quickly retrieved the key and headed back down the hallway, eager to see what the switch had triggered.

Back in the bottomless pit room, light was now coming down from above. Looking up, Link could see that a third of the ceiling that had been blocking the incoming light was now gone.

Now Link understood what was going on: the switch he had just triggered had made part of the ceiling recede and allowed light to flow into the room. He reasoned that beyond the other two locked doors, he would find switches that would make the rest of the ceiling plates recede into the wall. Once that was done, light would shine fully into the room.

Link wasn't sure what that would accomplish, but his instincts told him that whatever it was, it would lead him to one of the masks he was after. _Well, better get to those other two switches,_ he thought as he hit the N pad to attract himself to the hovering metal pole. _I'd better finish this as soon as I can. Don't want Zelda worrying about me._

* * *

Outside of the Giant's sanctuary, Princess Zelda still sat awaiting Link's return, feeling gloomier than ever. The rain was coming down in sheets, and the raindrops clattered noisily against her force barrier. The non-stop noise was beginning to drive her insane, but not so much as the fact that after almost two hours, Link still hadn't exited the sanctuary. 

_Oh, what could be keeping him!_ Zelda thought with a mixture of impatience and dread. She tried to remember if the Sage's temples ever took Link this long, but she found it hard to concentrate with the rain's incessant noise resounding loudly in her ears.

_Oh, what am I worried about? Link's proven himself THE master at this sort of thing,_ Zelda reasoned. _He probably has everything under control._

* * *

"YEEOOOWWW!" 

The Beamos' laser struck Link on the leg, and Link reflexively jumped out of the way. Had the laser stayed in contact with his leg, it would have probably sliced it off. As it was, it merely left a nasty burn.

"Eat this!" Link yelled as he tossed a bomb at the Beamos, angry at how he had been taken unawares. The explosion shattered the central body and the laser-shooting eye went flying into the air, crashing to the ground a few feet away.

However, to his right, Link heard the sound of another Beamos preparing to fire off a laser. He quickly ran back into where the last Beamos had been, safely out of range.

Once that Beamos had turned its eye away, Link ran past it, careful to avoid the areas where he knew there were invisible iron spikes. Eventually he reached his goal: a long ladder that led to a ledge up above. Atop that ledge was what he sought: the third and final floor switch, along with a blue treasure chest that had gold platings, which Link knew contained the boss key.

Link looked back down at the room below as he nursed his aching burn. The process to get to the other two switches had been far more complex and challenging, and this last room had been downright evil. Beamoses everywhere, along with invisible spikes and rotating scythes that could only be revealed with the Lens of Truth.

But Link smiled to himself, feeling a sense of pride after managing to get past all that. After taking the boss key, he stepped on the final switch, and he heard that familiar rumbling a second later.

After all the trouble this trap-infested room had given him, Link didn't want to go through all the Beamoses and invisible traps again. So he played the Song of Soaring instead, once again warping himself to the entrance. He made his way back to the room with the retractable ceiling as quickly as he could, anxious to see what effect he had triggered.

As was to be expected, the whole room was flooded with blinding, white light now that all three stone plates had receded into the wall. At first, Link didn't notice anything different besides that obvious fact, but after a while, something strange caught his eye.

The rotating metal pole in the center of the room had changed color. No longer was it a flat, dull metallic grey... now, in the resplendent light, it gave off a bright, orange-yellow glow.

Link wasn't sure what it meant, but since that seemed to be the only obvious change, he decided to go with that. He pressed the N on his magnetic gauntlet to attract himself to the magnetic pole.

As soon as his left hand made contact with the metal pole, it began to float upwards, with Link still attached to it. This took Link upwards into the dazzling filtered light, and soon it got so unbearably bright that he was forced to tightly shut his eyes and cover his face with his free arm.

At one point, Link could feel the upward movement stop. The pole hovered in midair for a split second, then it began moving sideways. Eventually, the movement ceased again, and the pole stayed motionless. Link dared to open his eyes, and saw that wherever he was, it wasn't flooded with blinding light.

Taking a good look around him, Link could see that the pole had taken him to the end of a hallway, evidently located far above the room with the doors that led to the floor switches. And at the end of this hallway was a door with ornate designs, and a gold lock and chains in front of it, barring the way through.

_OK, whatever's in here must be guarding the other Giant's Mask!_ Link thought excitedly as he took out the boss key. Finally, the first step in the process of curing Zelda was almost done.

Link quickly unlocked the door and dashed through. He was immediately forced to cover his eyes again; even the boss room had light filtering into it. However, his eyes soon adjusted again, and he could clearly see what had awaited him.

In the middle of this huge, wide-open area he had entered, there was what looked like an exact duplicate of the Desert Colossus statue that sat within the Spirit Temple. Just like that temple's statue, this one was almost as huge as Zelda was. _What the... obviously, this place is more like the Spirit Temple than I thought,_ Link thought to himself as he slowly approached the statue. _Uh-oh, please don't tell me this means I have to fight..._

As if to answer his thoughts, the giant statue began to slowly stand up. All around Link, there echoed the sounds of metal and stone parts moving, vaguely similar to the sounds inside Clock Town's clock tower.

As soon as the statue was standing upright, it lifted up its left arm, its hand outstrecthed. Then Link heard the sound of crackling energy, and saw there was a sapphire-like jewel embedded in the palm of the hand... and it was glowing brighter by the second.

Having a good idea what was going to happen next, Link hastily slapped on his Goron's Mask and rolled away from the hulking statue at top speed. Somewhere behind him, it sounded as if a huge bolt of lightning had struck the floor.

Link unrolled himself and peeked behind him. Sure enough, a few dozen feet behind him was a spot on the floor that was black, charred and had a crater. Moreover, the statue was now moving toward him, advancing several yards with each broad, giant step. And now its right hand was outstretched, gathering power.

"Oh lovely," Link hissed exasperatedly as he curled up again and rolled forward, aiming to slip underneath her. He had moved just in time; he heard another bolt strike the ground a few feet behind him, right where he had been standing.

_How am I supposed to fight this thing?_! Link thought panickingly as he rolled away from the giant statue. Once he was confident he was far enough away, Link unrolled himself again and turned to take a good look at the statue. Every temple master he ever fought had some sort of weakness he could exploit - he just had to be smart enough to figure it out.

It was then that Link finally noticed something different about the Desert Colossus replica: the forearms looked metallic. And the treasure he found in the sanctuary just happened to affect metal...

Just as Link realized this, the Desert Colossus copy reached out with its left hand, drawing in power once more. Hoping he called it right, Link reverted to his human self and reached out with own left hand, hitting the N pad.

Nothing happened, and it looked as if the statue was about ready to fire an energy bolt. Realizing it was too late to avoid the attack, Link pressed in the S pad, praying that the south polarity would have some effect.

It did. The instant he pushed the button, the energy the statue had drawn in dissipated as if by magic. Not only that, its left forearm was slowly coming apart from its main body and began creeping toward Link. After a few seconds, its speed picked up, edging closer and closer toward Link.

"OK, that had some effect, but now how do..." Link began to think out loud, the forearm now hovering only a few yards away from him. Then he noticed the Desert Colossus was readying a blast with its right hand. "Whoa!" he exclaimed as he hit the S pad again, preparing to run of harm's way.

Once Link released his magnetic hold on the statue's forearm, it rocketed back toward the main body, as if propelled by a gigantic slingshot. Instead of merely reattaching itself to the left arm, however, it struck it with such incredible force that it knocked the statue backwards several steps. Link could also hear a sound like that of rocks being crushed, and could see small cracks forming on its main body.

_Oh, so that's it!_ Link thought jubilantly, now realizing the method in which he could beat the guardian. As the statue reached out with its right hand again, Link hit the N pad on his magnetic gauntlet, reasoning that this arm would be attracted by the north polarity. He called it right, and the right forearm slowly crept towards Link.

And so, the process went on: Link pulling one of the statue's forearms towards him with his magnetic gauntlet and releasing it just as it was preparing a blast with the other.

It took five high-speed impacts with each forearm to cause enough damage to its body. After the tenth blow, Link had dealt it enough damage to cause its body to crumble to pieces. The whole room echoed with the sound of its debris clattering to the floor. This also kicked up a cloud of dirt and bits of rock that spread outward, forcing Link to cover his face with his hands as it rushed past him.

Once the derbis cloud has passed him and he uncovered his face, though, Link saw something most unexpected... and unwelcome. The head of the Desert Colossus copy was now hovering above the wreckage of its main body. Obviously, the battle wasn't over yet.

Without warning, it swooped toward Link. Not only that, its mouth was now open, and he could see flames billowing within it. Link leaped to the side as it passed over him, barely avoiding the fireballs it spewed.

_Oh great, how do I finish off the head?_ Link thought as it made another pass, once again barely dodging the fireballs in time. Then Link remembered something about the original statue's head: when sunlight was reflected onto its face, it crumbled away. And the room he was in had sunlight streaming in from everywhere...

Seeing that the head was turning again, ready to do another fly-by, Link crouched and took out his Mirror Shield. As he had hoped, a super-bright stream of light issued forth from his shield's surface. Link quickly aimed it at the statue's head as it was barreling toward him...

As soon as the reflected light struck the head, it stopped in midair, as if it had been stunned. _Well, at least I know how to stop it for a while, but how do I..._

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Link noticed the statue's right forearm lying on the floor, a few yards away from the pile of debris. This gave Link an idea. Pushing the N pad to attract it toward him and attach it to his gauntlet, he lifted it up and aimed it at the giant floating head. Then he hit the S pad to repel it away from him at an extreme velocity.

The results were predictable. The metal forearm smashed through the floating head like a sword striking a clay pot. The remains of the head crashed noisily to the floor, and the forearm smashed into the wall a few hundred yards away.

A second later, all the remains of the Desert Colossus replica evaporated in wisps of white mist. And where the debris from the head had fallen, a pillar of white light now rose out of the ground. Squinting to get a better look, Link could see that some small object was lying in the middle of the light pillar.

Having a good idea what it was, Link ran to the pillar as fast as he could. He cautiously stepped into the pillar and picked up the object.

It was something shaped exactly like the Giant's Mask, only instead of metal, this one was composed of sandstone.

"Yes! One down, two to go!" Link exclaimed triumphantly as the light pillar carried him upward to be transported back outside.

* * *

Well, there you have it, my first attempt at writing about a Zelda dungeon in a fic. Sure, it was a bit simplistic, but then again, the first dungeon in a Zelda game always is. 

By the way, this chapter had all sorts of references to the non-N64 games; some were obvious, some were really subtle. _Can you spot them all?_ :)

So long,  
Grey


	13. Swamped

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 13: Swamped  
4-27-2005  
by Grey 

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

By Zelda's estimates, it had now been over three hours since Link had went into the first sanctuary. The pouring rain had not let up at all, and Zelda had long since been forced to cover her ears to block out the sound of the raindrops hitting her forcefield. The rocky soil at the base of the pit had been turned to thick mud and large puddles had formed everywhere. And to a normal sized person, those 'puddles' would be like lakes. 

Zelda had tried to remain patient, to keep reminding herself that Link was too skilled an adventurer to get killed doing this sort of thing, but at this point, it was no use. The waiting was driving her mad, as was the fact that she could do nothing to help him.

_Arrggh, I hate this!_ Zelda thought angrily, tormented by her helplessness. _Here I am, possibly the most empowered woman on Earth, and I can't do a thing to help Link! I can squash any enemy in that sanctuary, but since I can't fit inside, I have to wait out here while Link does all the work by himself._

But then Zelda realized that Link might not want help at all. Even though he had had fairies accompany him in the past, Link had always done the dirty work alone, and he probably preferred it that way.

_Yeah, all men have a bit of an ego,_ Zelda reasoned gloomily. _He's probably enjoying this, getting another chance to prove how tough he is. Wouldn't want his girlfriend getting in the way._

After thinking about this, Zelda wondered how Link felt about being with a gigantic woman in general. He had said again and again that her size was irrevelant to him, that it didn't change the way he felt about her. After all, he had traversed countless miles of ocean waters just to find her again.

But now Zelda couldn't help but wonder if, on some level, he felt a bit mortified having a girlfriend who could crush him without even trying. In a world where men tended to consider themselves superior to women, she doubted any man would truly not care, even Link.

Then again, Link never showed any indication he felt any embarassment. Throughout the last week, his face never betrayed any sign of humiliation when she held him in her hands, and he never complained when she nuzzled him, hugged him or gave him a big kiss.

On the contrary, Zelda had the feeling that somehow, he enjoyed it. Zelda couldn't help but to smile as she once again thought of how adorable Link looked when she held him, and how she couldn't resist smothering him with affection. As much as she wanted to return to normal, at times she found it absurdly fun being a giantess, holding Link captive in her hands...

Zelda was so wrapped up in these thoughts that she almost didn't notice a small pillar of light arising from the muddy ground near the sanctuary's entrance. Her spirits picked up as she noticed this and looked down to see what was going on. When she did so, the pillar of light had faded, but now Link stood in its place, knee-deep in a puddle of mud.

"Link? OH LINK!" she exclaimed joyously, relieved that he had finally made it out of the sanctuary. Without a second's hesitation, she lowered her barrier and scooped Link up off of the muddy ground, then used Nayru's Love again to re-erect the barrier.

She had only dropped the forcefield for about two seconds, but she had still become completely soaked. But such a trivial inconvenience didn't matter, now that she knew Link was safe. "Link, are you OK?" she asked breathlessly. Link didn't say anything, but merely nodded.

"So Link, did you find it?" asked Zelda. Once again, Link didn't say anything to answer her. Instead, he pulled out an object and held it out in front of him. Zelda brought Link closer to her face so she could see what he was holding. She still had to squint to make it out, but it looked like the Giant's Mask, only it was made of some sort of brown, polished stone instead of metal. "This is it, isn't it?"

Link winced as Zelda spoke; her words were far louder than the ricocheting raindrops and crashing thunder overhead. "Please, keep it down. And yes, it is," Link answered weakly as he put the mask away.

"Oh Link, I'm so sorry," Zelda breathed, much more softly this time. "I forgot about my voice, I'm sorry. It's just that... you were in there so long, and I'm so relieved to see you made it out, and..."

"Yeah, this sanctuary did take me a while to figure out," Link said, cutting off Zelda's string of worried ranting. "But I'm OK, except I have a bit of a sore back and an ugly burn on my leg."

"Oh, my poor little Link," Zelda said sweetly, smiling down on her soulmate. She then kissed him, her lips engulfing his entire upper body. After that, she gently nestled his body against her cheek.

After a few seconds, however, Zelda pulled Link away and brought him back in front of her face, and Link could see she was worried about something. "Oh Link, I-I'm sorry... I d-didn't... it's j-just that... umm," she spluttered incoherently.

"Uh Zelda, what's wrong?" Link asked in a concerned tone, more than just a little confused about the dramatic shift in Zelda's mood.

Zelda sighed, then launched into an explanation about what she was thinking right before Link had exited the sanctuary: how worried she was that he thought being with a giant woman was an affront to his masculinity.

After Zelda had finished explaining herself, Link did something that shocked her: he let out a raucous peal of laughter. "Wha? Link, what are..."

"Zelda, I've said it before and I'll say it again: you worry way too much," Link said, still laughing.

"You... you mean..."

"Zelda, I'm not like that. I don't think that way," said Link reassuringly. "Look, I've been surrounded by strong-willed girls all my life. I grew up with Saria, and then I met Ruto, Impa and the entire Gerudo tribe. And then in Termina, I met girls like Romani and Anju... and of course, that loudmouthed fairy Tatl..."

"Well, I guess when you put it that way..." remarked Zelda as she looked away from him, still not entirely convinced.

"I'm serious, Zelda. I don't feel threatened by tough, strong-willed girls at all," said Link in a chiding tone. "In fact, I think it's those sort of qualities that you have that made me fall for you in the first place; how tough and iron-willed you are."

Now Zelda turned her gaze back down at Link. "Are you serious?" she asked him, genuinely astonished.

"Have I ever lied to you, Zelda?" replied Link, still in that scolding tone. "And as for being held by a giant woman, well, isn't it obvious that I kinda like it?"

"Well, yeah, I did get the feeling that you do," whispered Zelda. "But it must be so weird for you. I can't imagine why you would."

"I can't explain it myself. I just do. And I'm kind of going to miss your giant-sized attention once we get you back to normal," Link said, flashing a smile.

Zelda didn't said anything in response. She merely smiled down at Link again, and then brought him back up to her face for another smothering kiss.

* * *

Saria looked up at Impa again. The two of them stood in Kokiri Village, right in front of Saria's house. "So, you still haven't sensed anything, either?" she asked the Sheikah warrior. 

Impa shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Either she is too far away for the bond of the Sages to function, or she is purposely making it so that we cannot sense anything from her."

"Or maybe both," Saria added gloomily. "But, why did you come here to ask me about this? If I sensed anything, knew of anything, I'd come and tell you right away."

Impa let out a heavy sigh, and said, "There's something else I needed to ask about. About an hour ago in the market town, I overheard some gossip about people seeing a Zora no one recognized..."

"But all Zoras pretty much look the same," Saria chimed in, cutting Impa off.

"Yes, I know," continued Impa, "but they said this one was wearing some garments, and they sounded reminiscent of Link's clothing. I reasoned it could be him in disguise."

_"REALLY?"_ cried Saria, her spirits lifting. This was possibly the first sign of Link in days. "Have you found this Zora? Do you have any idea where he is?"

"No," Impa answered solemnly, shaking her head. "That's why I came here to the forest. After checking out Zora's Domain. I thought perhaps, if it was truly Link, he might have come back here instead."

Saria's spirits plummeted as quickly as they had risen. "No, Impa. No one but you has come here today, Zora or otherwise."

"Please keep a look out for him regardless. He may come here later, under the cover of night," Impa said regally. "And Saria, watch yourself, my friend. My instincts tell me that something is happening. Something... shadowy."

"Y-yes, Impa. I'll watch out for him," Saria answered uneasily. Impa nodded, then turned to leave the Kokiri Village. She merely stood and watched her go. Saria desperately wished she could be like her, as disciplined as a Sheikah. NOTHING seemed to faze them, unlike her...

Saria then sensed someone behind her house. Through her powers as a Sage, she could pinpoint the whereabouts of any sentient being in her forest, thanks to the abundance of plant life everywhere; she had merely been distracted by her conversation with Impa.

At first, Saria thought it could be the mystery Zora, since it was nearing nightfall, and most of her fellow Kokiri would already be indoors. However, she soon realized it was probably that ONE troublesome Kokiri...

In an instant, her despair gave way to anger. "Mido, I know it's you! Get out here!" she bellowed. Sure enough, Mido timidly crept out from behind her house a second later, a look of dread etched on his face. None of the Kokiri wished to face Saria when she was in a sour mood.

"You were eavesdropping on us, weren't you?" she asked him angrily.

"Well, yeah," Mido said shakily. "Why... is that a big deal?"

"It's just plain RUDE to listen in on other people's conversations!" snapped Saria.

"Well, er, I saw Impa come in the village and head straight for your house, and I thought she had news about Link and the princess, and, uh..."

"That still doesn't give you the right to snoop," said Saria acidly. "Why do you always insist on being so troublesome?"

"Don't tell me you're still mad about the thing with the temple!" cried Mido.

Saria bit her lip. It was true she was still annoyed by the way Mido completely ignored her and entered the Forest Temple. Ever since Link's comeback, Saria had had enough on her mind, and didn't need Mido flouting her authority and causing trouble.

"Just go, Mido. Now," she ordered him, in a tone that let him know she wouldn't tolerate any dissention.

"I don't know why you're always so upset these days, but you need to get over it," spat Mido, then he took off for his house, his fairy companion fluttering close behind. Saria stood and watched him go, making sure he entered his house, then she turned and went into her own.

Once inside, Saria picked up a clay pot near the doorway and threw it against the wall, and it shattered to pieces. "Damnit!" she shrilled as she picked up another pot and smashed it against the wall as well. Her fairy buzzed about nervously, but Saria took no notice. Nor did she care who heard the commotion; she desperatedly needed to vent some frustration. Saria knew Mido was absolutely right: over the last few days she had been prone to bouts of depression and anger.

And it was all because of one person: Link. As he had grown up among the Kokiri, he had become her best friend. But over time, her feelings toward him changed into something much more. And she had always prayed, hoped against hope, that one day he would return to Hyrule and return those feelings she had for him.

But as soon as Link had come home, it was painfully obvious that it wasn't her he had returned for. He had given his heart to another, and it tore her apart. Saria had tried to cover it up, hide her feelings, pretend it didn't bother her, but it was no use. There was no way to pretend that your heart wasn't broken.

And now, finally, she had reached her breaking point. Saria then sat in the middle of her house and buried her face in her hands, finally letting the tears flow.

* * *

Everything was relatively uneventful in Termina's southern swamplands. The sun had just gone down, so no travellers were around and the boat cruise/tourist info hut was now closed. Besides, storm clouds were looming overhead just as they had been in the eastern canyons, so no one would really want to be out anyway. And except for the sound of crickets chirping, the swamp was quite peaceful. 

But then something happened to upset the tranquil state of the swamp. Around the owl post statue, a huge cyclonic wind system began to form, and large, white feathers appeared as if from nowhere, caught up in the swirling winds. Then something slowly materialized within the winds: Princess Zelda, with Link perched on her shoulder, holding the Ocarina of Time.

"Well, I finally got the hang of it," said Link, relieved that he had perfected how to transport both himself and Zelda with the Song of Soaring.

"So, the next sanctuary is somewhere in this swamp?" Zelda asked him, not enthuiastic about having to trudge through a wetland. She had had enough of wet environments after being caught in the rain in the mountains. She was still soaked from the rain and so was Link. Zelda hadn't dared use Din's Fire to dry Link off though; she feared that if she made the slightest miscalculation, she'd roast him alive.

"Yep. And judging from the map, you'll have to cross over more rocky barriers to get to it," answered Link, taking another glance at the mask salesman's map.

"Lovely," Zelda muttered, feeling the dryness of her throat as she spoke. It had been several hours since she had had a drink of water. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking of taking advantage of the rain back in the mountains. "Link, I'm thirsty. Do you know if there's a good source of fresh water around here?"

"You're in luck. I knew the perfect place to get some water around here. Hopefully it's still there," replied Link. Then he gave her the directions to get to the potion shop loacted in the swamp.

Zelda stomped through the swamp and reached the potion shop within seconds, and to Link's relief, fresh spring water still encircled it. The water was even deeper than before, in fact. Wasting no time, she bent down and cupped her hands, bringing water up to her mouth to slurp up. Link, who was hanging on to Zelda's collar, marvelled at just how much water it took to quench her thirst - she must have brought up dozens of liters with each handful.

After six or seven handfuls of water, Zelda felt she had enough. "OK Link, now let's go to the next dungeon," she told him as she stood up. "By the way, what's that building right here?"

"Oh that, it's just a potion shop. It's run by the parallel version of..."

Link was cut off by the sounds of maniacal cackling... coming from two separate directions. _Oh no, I have a hunch this isn't good,_ he thought glumly.

Sure enough, Termina's versions of Koume and Kotake swooped down into the swamp and hovered a few dozen feet away from Zelda. "My, she's a big girl, isn't she Kotake?" one of the Gerudo witches said to the other.

"She certainly is, I wonder where she came from, Koume," the other witch said.

"Uh Link, aren't they...?" breathed Zelda nervously.

"Uh huh," muttered Link. "Let's just get out of here," he suggested. Zelda decided that was a good idea, and turned to leave the same way she came.

"Hey, I wonder what made her so big, Koume?" she heard one of the Gerudo hags ask the other.

"If we can find out, I bet we could get rich selling the secret, Kotake!" said the other.

"Let's get her!" cried both of the witches in unison. Upon hearing this exclamation, Zelda whirled around, only to be greeted by the sight of Kotake launching an ice attack right at her head.

Zelda's entire face was now covered by a thick sheet of ice, and her hands instinctively went to her face, as if trying to pry to ice off. Her whole body shook violently, and Link was flung off of her shoulder. Luckily for him, he was able to grab hold of some strands of Zelda's hair as he was suspended in midair, saving himself from a long fall.

By using a bit of Din's Fire, Zelda was able to make to ice on her face to evaporate. She could see again, and a few yards overhead, she could see Koume firing off a flame spell down at her. Zelda moved to the right to avoid it, but it still managed to hit her, striking her on her left shoulder pad. And since metal conducted heat extremely well, she could feel the searing flame throughout her shoulder.

Zelda hissed through gritted teeth, now extremely agitated. Then she saw both hags hover a few dozen yards in front of her, both of them powering up their magical energy. _OK, go ahead and try, you brainless hags. I've got a big surprise!_ she thought acidly, preparing her own magical spell.

The two Gerudo witches simultaneously fired off their energy blasts directly at Zelda. But as the blasts were closing in, Zelda used Nayru's Love to erect a diamond-shaped forcefield around her, and the blasts ricocheted off of it and back at the hags.

"What the...?" the hags exclaimed surprisedly as their spells came rocketing back at them. Both witches were hit dead-center with their own spells and were stunned, now floating in midair atop their brooms.

Zelda took advantage of that and stepped forward, swiping the air in front her with her outstretched hand and swatting both of them out of the sky. The witches were knocked off their brooms and landed back in the spring water encircling Kotake's shop. They were now down for the count, and that was good enough for her; no point in finishing them off, since they weren't exactly the evil Koume and Kotake that had worked for Ganondorf.

"Whew, that was easy, wasn't it Link?" Zelda huffed as she looked down at her shoulder, only to find Link was no longer there. "_Link?_ Oh no!" she cried, fearful that he might have plummeted dozens of feet down to the ground. "Link, where are..."

"Zelda, look at your back," she heard him say, his voice sounding faint and distant. Zelda obeyed and looked behind her. She could see Link was clutching the very ends of her longest strands of hair.

Zelda quickly reached behind her, placing an outstretched hand directly underneath Link. "Link, let go. I've got you," she told him. A second later, she felt him land in the palm of her hand. She then brought him around and in front of her face. "Oh Link, I'm so sorry. I almost got you killed..."

"It wasn't your fault," Link said reassuringly. "Let's just get out of here before those two recover." Zelda nodded, and briskly ran back out to the main swampland.

* * *

Saria sat in the middle of her house, her face still drenched with tears. The tears had flowed non-stop now that she had finally cracked, and her fairy friend had stopped trying to cheer her up. It was as if she could tell Saria's sorrows weren't going to be lifted anytime soon, that there was no way she would ever get Link out of her mind. 

Link... she had always been with him, right from the beginning. Saria had been there when his mother, mortally wounded, entrusted the life of her baby to the Great Deku Tree. As the Deku Tree had ordered, she presented the baby to the rest of the tribe, telling them a fellow Kokiri had been bestowed upon them that day. Among the Kokiri, she alone knew of his true origins.

And so they had grown up together, becoming inseparable friends. But when Link, all grown up, had come for her in the Forest Temple, Saria found that her feelings for him had changed. They were now... feelings of love.

_Oh, what was I thinking?_ thought Saria. _How could I have possibly believed he could feel that way about me? I'm a Kokiri, I can't grow up! I'll never be the type of woman he wants, a beautiful woman like Zelda..._

Zelda... now, whenever she heard her name, it filled her with all-consuming jealousy. Over the past few months, after the fall of Ganondorf, the two of them had become close friends. They were fellow Sages, working together for the betterment of Hyrule.

But now... she was the one Link loved, the one he had come back for. To Saria, it was as if she had stolen Link from her. And she was beginning to feel that same sort of jealous anger toward Link as well. He had spurned her, the girl who had always been there for him.

_Oh, if only I could cause them the pain they've caused me,_ Saria thought vindictively. But of course, she knew it was pointless to entertain such thoughts. Link was probably the mightiest adventurer who ever lived, and Zelda... as she was, not even Ganondorf would have a prayer against her.

But then, in the midst of all her sorrow, hate and pain, she heard a voice whisper in her ear: _Perhaps I can help you with that._

"Huh?" said Saria, suddenly fearful. She stood up and looked all around her house, but no one else was in there with her, save for her fairy. But she was now buzzing around incessantly, as if she sensed something dangerous nearby. And now that she had been shocked out of her depression, Saria began to sense something too. Something malevolent, sinister... evil.

And then, as if by magic, the floor right underneath her turned pitch-black, and black tendrils shot out of the ground, wrapping themselves all around her. Saria would have screamed in terror, but one of the tendrils was clamped around her mouth. Then the tendrils dragged her down into the floor, and within seconds, she was gone.

* * *

Princess Zelda slowly wandered southward through the marshy waters, using the power of Din's Fire to light the way. Directly south of Termina's swamplands, beyond rocky hills and thick, swampy forestation that was impassable to anyone but the princess, there was a bayou that led out to the western ocean. And according to Link's map, the next sanctuary was located somewhere in the bayou. 

So Zelda was forced to trudge through the waters. At first, the water only came up to her ankles, but it quickly became deeepr the more she progressed, and now she was knee-deep in swampy water. She had given up lifting up her dress to keep it out of the boggy water and decided to just deal with it, but she still found the whole situation vexatious.

And that wasn't the only thing bothering her. The sun had gone down completely and only a half-moon was out, and even that was covered up by clouds. Sure, she had her magic to provide plenty of light, but it did nothing to alleviate the gloomy atmosphere of the bayou.

"Ugh, I hate this," she said bitterly. "Once I'm back to normal, the first thing I'm going to do is take a nice, long bath," she said to Link, who was once again perched on her shoulder. This time, however, he had tied the ends of several strands of Zelda's hair around his waist, in case he was thrown off again.

"Yeah, I figured," murmured Link as he stared down at the bayou below. It was still so surreal, viewing the world from so high up, atop a giant girl's shoulder. He couldn't decide which was weirder: seeing the world from such a perspective, or tagging along with someone so monstrously huge. Link briefly wondered if this was how Navi and Tatl had felt when they had travelled with him, hanging around someone so much bigger. He had to smile at the irony of the role reversal: now it was he who tagged along with someone far larger than him.

"Would you like you take one with me?" Zelda asked, a hint of devilishness in her voice.

_"Huh?"_ Link cried out, shocked by Zelda's naughty suggestion.

Zelda giggled, amused by Link's nervous repsonse. "What, are you saying you wouldn't want to?" she asked coyly.

"No, I mean, yes, I mean... oh, uhh..." Link spluttered.

Zelda chuckled again. "That's my Link. Always..."

Zelda's words trailed off as she suddenly fell forward, her foot having snagged on some underwater rock or root. She flung out her arms in front of her, saving herself from becoming completely submerged in the swampy water. Still, the front of her dress was now drenched in slimy, muddy water, and her arms were soaked too, up to the ends of her gloves.

"Yuck!" she exclaimed dejectedly as she stood up, staring down at herself; her royal dress was now completely ruined. "Ugh, this dress has had it! It was my favorite one too..."

Her voice trailed off again when she noticed where Link was. Since he tied himself to some of her hair, he was now dangling at the very ends of those strands. And since she had stood back up, he was now up against her chest. "Hey Link, look where you are!" she said teasingly.

Link, who eyes had been screwed shut after getting knocked off, opened them to find he was dangling up against her breast. "Wha... AAHHH!" he shrilled, now EXTREMELY uneasy about his current position. Yet, of course, at the same time, he admitted to himself it wasn't exactly a BAD place to be...

"Hee hee hee," giggled Zelda as she grabbed the strands of hair that Link was tied to and dangled him in front of her face. "I bet you enjoyed hanging around there, didn't you?" she asked coyly, smiling to herself. Link, however, was feeling a mixture of embarrassment, uneasiness and guilt. First there was Zelda's suggestion about the two of them taking a bath together, and now this!

Still smiling and giggling, Zelda placed him back on her shoulder and continued walking through the bayou. Eventually, she spotted something: up ahead was dry ground (as dry as the ground could be in a bayou, anyway) , and a few dozen feet from the water's edge was what looked like some sort of mansion.

"Link, could this be it?" she asked hopefully, making her way towards land.

"I think so," said Link, checking the map again.

Soon enough, Zelda was standing on solid ground, right in front of the mansion. Now that he was close enough, Link could see that it was very reminiscent of the Forest Temple. The architecture, the color schemes, even the way vines grew up along the walls... everything was almost identical to Saria's temple. _First there was one similar to Nabooru's temple, and now this,_ Link thought as he untied the hair around his waist. Out loud, he said, "OK, set me down Zelda. Let's get this started."

Zelda obeyed and carefully set Link down in front of the mansion. Link hurriedly climbed up the stairs toward the front door, eager to get started. Zelda watched him go, once again feeling that sense of helplessness: now he had to go into another sanctuary, and she had to remain outside and wait patiently.

It was then that Zelda sensed a flash of pure terror. And it was coming through the bond of the Sages...

"Wha?" Zelda murmured, shocked by the sudden sensation of being hit with someone else's turbulent emotions. She then focused her mind, trying to pinpoint where it had come from and which Sage it was...

"Link! Saria's in there!" Zelda cried out as soon as she figured it out.

Link, who was halfway up the steps in front of the bayou mansion, turned around and said, "_What?_ Why would she be here? How do you..."

"It's through the bond we Sages share," replied Zelda as she moved closer to the mansion and kneeled down. "I don't know how or why, but she's trapped inside that mansion! And she's scared Link! I can sense it, cold fear..."

For a few seconds, Link stared dumbly up at Zelda, not sure what to make of her sudden revelation. Eventually, though, he came to his senses, and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. He quickly played the song Saria had taught him long ago; it had been so long since he had last played it...

Link could then hear Saria's thoughts echoing in his mind. _Link? Link, you're here?_

_Yes, Zelda and I are here,_ he thought back to her. _Hang on, Saria! I'm coming to get you out of there..._

_NO!_ came Saria's mental voice, cutting Link off. _No, don't come in here! Get yourself and Zelda away from here! It's too dangerous! I... AAAAHHHH!_

And that was it. The connection between them was broken. "Zelda, what are you sensing now?" he asked the princess desparately, looking back up at her.

Zelda shook her head. "I can't sense anything anymore! It's like, she's cut off!" she answered, a look of terror on her face. "Link, you've got to get in there! Get her out!"

Link nodded, then ran up to the mansion's huge oak double doors. With one mighty heave, Link pried them open, then rushed in.

* * *

Oooh, the suspense is building, isn't it? Wait till you see what this new plot twist with Saria turns out to be... 

And about the hidden references in the last chapter, they are as follows:  
-The three-headed dragon is called a Gleeok, ripped right out of the original Legend of Zelda.  
-A treasure chest with the item already gone? Sounds a lot like how the Stalfos Knight took the hookshot in Level 5 of Link's Awakening.  
-Here's the most blatant one: the whole idea for the magnetic gauntlet came from that item in Oracle of Seasons.  
-That whole thing with pulling back the boss's arms... that was one method needed to beat Ramrock, the boss of Level 8 in Oracle of Ages.  
-And the 'floating head' thing was ripped from that one boss in Wind Waker.  
-And the way enemies vanished in puffs of smoke... it's like the death animations in the so-called 'cartoony' Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures and Minish Cap.

If you found them all, congratulations! You get a Street Fighter II arcade machine with Sheng-Long in the roster, a copy of Super Smash Bros. Melee with Sonic and Tails in the roster, a copy of Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball with a topless mode, and a copy of Zelda: The Wind Waker with realistic graphics. Oh yeah, and a GameShortz.

So long,  
Grey


	14. Darkest Depths

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 14: Darkest Depths  
5-17-2005  
by Grey 

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

Beyond the mansion's double doors was a narrow hallway, which looked identical to the entrance hallway in Saria's temple. _Unbelievable,_ thought Link. _I wonder which temple the next one will mimic..._

Link looked up, expecting to see a Skulltulla, like there was in the Forest Temple's first hallway. Instead, he saw three Bio Deku Babas drop down from the ceiling. Now the three of them were lined up in a row, blocking his path.

With practiced quickness, Link drew his Great Fairy Sword and slashed at the first one. Three swipes were all it took to finish it off, but the one behind it then lurched forward, its maw wide open. It clamped its jaws down onto Link's left hand, but thanks to his magnetic gauntlet, it didn't do much damage.

Link quickly shook it off and ran it through with his sword. Now the final plant monster was closing in on him. He jumped backwards to give himself some room, then pulled out his hookshot and fired. The creature stopped dead in its tracks once it was struck with the hookshot, giving Link the opportunity to safely finish it off with his sword.

"Something tells me this one's gonna be harder than the first," Link thought aloud as he walked across the hallway and went through the door at the other side. If that was the reception at the entrance...

He stepped out into an expansive room that brought back even more memories. Beyond the hallway there was what looked almost exactly like the central room in the Forest Temple, complete with an elevator in the center. Link cautiously crept up to it, expecting a gang of Poe quadruplets to appear out of nowhere and snatch up the torch flames, as had happened before in Saria's temple.

But nothing of the sort happened. The torches remained lit as Link stepped into the elevator area. As he got a good look at the inside of the elevator unit, he saw that there would be an entirely different obstacle to overcome if he wanted to use the elevator. On the floor of the elevaror was a golden circular pad with a keyhole in the center; to use this elevator, Link would obviously have to find the boss key first.

_OK, Saria must be down there. Whatever took Saria has got to be at the bottom of this shaft, just like last time,_ Link reasoned. _Just find the boss key, and I can go and fight whatever took her. Simple._ Of course, he knew that it wouldn't be as simple as that; the process of FINDING the boss key was always a challenge. And if this place was anywhere near as tough as the Forest Temple it mimicked...

Link couldn't believe how, all of a sudden, the stakes had been raised so much higher. What had been simply a quest to get Zelda back to normal had now turned into a desperate fight to save his oldest friend. And now, Saria was trapped in a place that resembled the Forest Temple, where he had had to go and rescue her before. The sense of deja vu the situation evoked in Link was more than just a little unsettling.

But Link had succeeded the last time, and he was determined to win again, no matter what sort of dangers awaited him.

Link looked up from the elevator floor and surveyed the room again; unlike the other elevator room, there were no northwest and northeast doors, which had led to outdoor courtyards. There were only doors to the left and right (and the one on the right was once again inaccessible) , and one straight ahead.

Link decided to check out the door straight ahead and briskly darted in that direction. As he climbed the stairs, however, a Skulltulla, which had been concealed by a dense patch of overhanging vines, dropped down onto Link, who was painfully flung backward. As soon as he got back up, Link promptly retaliated by firing his hookshot at it, and the giant arachnid's body crashed lifelessly to the floor and eventually burned up in a flash of white flame.

However, something was left behind on the stairs after its body had burned away. Curious, Link walked back up the stairs and bent down to take a look. On the stair were about half a dozen seeds, which sort of looked like Deku seeds, except they were a little bigger and were a darker shade of yellow.

These seeds were practically useless to him, since he no longer had his slingshot. Nevertheless, Link decided to pocket them anyway, then he went through the door.

* * *

Zelda sat in front of the huge mansion, staring at it vacantly. To say that she was worried about Saria would have been a gross understatement. Link had spoken with her mentally, but she had actually felt her vociferous, forceful emotions. She had felt Saria's feelings of pure terror before their bond was severed; whatever was in that mansion had her terrified beyond reason. 

And once again, that sense of anger began welling up within her. She couldn't do a thing to help Saria, or even help Link get the bottom of things. It had been bad enough before when Link had went into the first sanctuary, but now the life of a Sage was in jeopardy!

_I'll just have to trust in Link, like I always have,_ Zelda thought. _He rescued Saria before. He can do it again._ She was genuinely confident in Link's courage and power, but the whole situation still vexed her, especially since there were so many unclear variables. Who or what had brought Saria to this mansion, and for what purpose?

As Zelda was considering this, she heard something swoop down from the sky behind her, and her instincts told her it was something hostile. She started to stand up, but before she could get back on her feet, she felt a burning, white-hot pain in her back. It was as if her entire backside had been set on fire.

"YEOWW!" she shrilled as she got up and whirled around to face whatever had attacked her. Hovering a few dozen feet away from her was the Termina version of Twinrova. Koume and Kotake had merged together, and obviously were after Zelda again.

"Hee hee hee, thought you could get away from us, did you?" said Twinrova mockingly as she prepared a blast of icy magic.

_Ugh, those idiots don't know when to quit!_ Zelda thought furiously as she drew upon her own magic. Using the power of Din's Fire, she filled the air in front of her with billowing flame, and Twinrova became enveloped in the fire.

"Augh!" screamed the sorceress fusion as she fluttered down to the ground, having been stunned by Zelda's magic. Zelda smiled down wickedly at her fallen enemy; even the copies of Ganondorf's most trusted followers could be knocked out with a single spell from her.

But what to do now? Zelda didn't believe their actions quite warranted death, so no stomping Twinrova flat like the Wizzrobe. But unless she did something, Twinrova would continue to pester her.

As she was considering her options, Twinrova was able to recover and began levitating again. "Oh no you don't," Zelda said menacingly as she reached down and snatched up Twinrova in her huge fist. She didn't even try to be gentle; she was squeezing Twinrova so hard, her bloodshot eyes were bugging out.

For a moment, Zelda just stared at her captive. Twinrova was looking up fearfully at the princess, finally realizing just how powerless she really was against her. "Have a nice flight," Zelda said suddenly, then tossed her up into the air. A second later, she backhanded Twinrova with her hand charged with magical energy. The impact caused Twinrova to be propelled like a rocket into the night sky, leaving a trail of white, magical sparks behind her.

"Wow," said Zelda, amazed by her display of power. "I wonder how far away they'll land?"

* * *

At the Goron racetrack, several Gorons were still at it, rolling along the path in an effort to make it to the finish line first. The sun had gone down over an hour ago, but many of the Gorons wanted as much practice as possible. The Termina Cup race was only days away. 

All of a sudden, the cloudy night sky was lit up when what looked like a meteor sped down toward the Earth. Then the brightly-lit object crashed into the middle of the Goron racetrack with a loud crash, leaving an impact crater fifteen feet in diameter and ten feet deep.

When the racing Gorons reached the impact crater, they were forced to stop, sincee it blocked their progress. Curiously, they peaked down into it, and saw two Gerudo hags yelling vehemently at each other.

* * *

"DAMNIT!" Link cursed as he stared at what lied beyond his reach. At one corner of the room he was in, there was a pit that led down to the second floor. But in the center of that pit there was a circular pillar, which was level with the floor. On that pillar was a crystal switch, but Link couldn't activate it. Surrounding the switch was a cylindrical dome, and nothing seemed to be able to break through it. He had tried everything: magic arrows, charged spin attacks, tossing bombs, his Zora form's fin boomerangs, hookshot... you name it, he tried it. 

However, there was an opening in the glass dome. On the very top, Link could see a tiny hole, no more than two inches in diameter. But he had no way of firing a projectile into that hole. None of his long-distance weapons or tools had that sort of trajectory.

Still cursing, Link turned away from the tantalizing switch. It was then that he noticed some cracks in the wall behind him. Deciding to come back to the domed switch later, he took out a bomb and tossed it at the wall. Within a few seconds the bomb detonated and blew a hole in the wall, revealing a long, dark tunnel.

As Link walked through the tunnel, he couldn't help thinking about how vexing this sanctuary was, not to mention how different its design was from Saria's temple. The entrance and elevator room were throwbacks to the Forest Temple, sure, but beyond that, this mansion had a completely different layout. In addition, this mansion had three upper levels, as opposed to the Forest Temple's two, meaning there was more ground to cover.

Plus, it was more heavily infested with monsters, and had far more confusing puzzles and deadlier traps. Well before he found the domed switch, Link had come across two other switches beyond his reach... a switch hidden behind glass barriers that he couldn't hit with any of his weapons, and another switch that erected some sort of forcefield around itself whenever he faced it directly...

Soon, Link came to the end of the winding tunnel and had to blow that open with a bomb as well. When he stepped through the freshly-opened passage, he found himself in a small, square room with some pots scattered about. There was a thin, rectangular, glassless window to his left and a locked door to his right.

And Link was fresh out of keys.

"Oh great!" Link huffed exasperatedly. This was one of the parts about adventuring that he always found most annoying: coming so far only to realize he had missed a key somewhere.

_Ugh, if only there was a way to just break through it!_ he thought as he stared at the lock and chains that prevented him from going any further. But he knew it was useless to entertain such thoughts. Even a Goron wouldn't have the strength to pry off the magical lock.

Sighing in defeat, Link turned away from the door and back to the tunnel. But then he again noticed the window out of the corner of his eye...

Link slowly walked up to it and peered outside. It was still dark out, and all he could make out were the tops of swamp cypress trees. Obviously, this window faced the outside of the mansion, instead of its interior courtyard.

This gave Link an idea. Maybe HE couldn't break through a locked door, but he had brought along someone who could...

"Zelda! ZELDA!" he called out as loudly as he could, hoping that somehow she would hear him. But Link knew that wasn't likely. Zelda was so huge she could only hear him whenever he was close enough to her head.

"ZELDA!" he called out again and patiently waited for a while. But still, there was nothing. Giving up on the hope of cutting a corner, Link turned away from the window and went back to the tunnel entrance. But just as he was about to go back through the tunnel, Link could hear some faint rumbling sounds, which were steadily becoming louder.

Link rushed back to the window and looked outside, only to see a gigantic eye staring back at him. "Link, is that you? Were you calling me?" Zelda asked him, her booming voice reverberating throughout the room.

"Uh, yeah," said Link. "You know how you said you feel bad about not being able to help me out? Well, I know a way you can." And then Link explained about the locked door.

"OK, Link. Find a safe spot," said Zelda, and Link could see her head move away from the window, and that she was rearing back her fist. Knowing what was coming, Link dashed back into the tunnel. All of a sudden, the entire mansion shook violently, and the tunnel was filled with a terrible crashing noise.

Link turned around, and saw that Zelda's muddied, gloved fist had smashed right through the wall and through the locked door as well. She had also smashed open the pots that had been in the room, and the floor was now littered with magic jars, rupees and bombs along with the debris from the walls.

Zelda took her arm back out of the sanctuary as Link continued to stare dumbly at her display of brute strength. He then saw her gigantic face peering into the hole she had punched through the wall. "Link, please hurry!" she said in a heavy tone. "Something terrible's happening, I'm sure of it. Go get whatever's in that room."

"I'm on it," replied Link, who gathered up the goods from the jars and then darted through the entrance Zelda had made for him.

As soon as Link stepped through that hole, however, it was like he had been transported to some other area. It was as if he was now outside during daylight, and a light fog seemed to linger everywhere. In addition, he was wading in clear water that came up to his ankles. _Wait a minute, this seems... familiar..._

Eventually, Link remembered where he had seen this sort of thing before: in the room in the Water Temple where he had fought his shadowy double.

"Uh oh," Link muttered as he turned to look behind him. The hole Zelda had made with her fist, it was gone! All he could see was an endless stretch of ankle-high water, obscured slightly by fog.

When he turned back to look in front of him, he saw that three shadow figures had materialized inside the room while he was looking the other way. Despite the fog, Link could easily make out their shapes: one had the form of a Deku scrub, one had the physique of a Goron warrior, and one had the outline of a male Zora.

Last time, Link merely had to contend with a dark copy of himself. This time, however, THREE shadowy creatues were after him, and they had taken the forms granted by his transformation masks!

Link didn't even have time to draw his sword before he found himself under attack. The Dark Scrub spat out inky-black bubbles at him and Dark Mikau sent out its fin boomerangs at the same time. Link leaped to the right, avoiding both attacks. But then Dark Darmani moved in and landed a haymaker on him, knocking him flat on his back.

"Urgh," Link grunted, feeling as if he had been snapped in half. Luckily for him, he was able to recover and roll out of the way, just as Dark Darmani was about to bring his clamped fists down onto him.

Link stood back up and drew his sword, then launched himself at Dark Darmani. He tried a downward slice with his sword, but it parried the blow with its forearm.

Then, seemingly from nowhere, the Dark Scrub collided into Link while spinning. Link managed to stay on his feet, but the impact from its magical spin stung a lot. A second later, Dark Mikau moved in and connected with a three-hit combo, and Link was once again knocked down into the water.

_This is not good!_ Link thought panickingly after he had risen again, barely sidestepping another spin attack from the Dark Scrub. _It was hard enough when I had to fight only one. How can I beat THREE of them?_

But then Link reasoned that each shadow creature might still have the inherent weaknesses of the race it mimicked. If so, perhaps he could exploit them...

The Dark Scrub was once again closing in while doing its spinning move. Link pulled out his bow as he sidestepped to evade the attack, then let a fire arrow fly while it was still engaged in its spinning attack. As soon as the arrow struck it, it became enveloped in flame, and within seconds its body vanished in a puff of black smoke. One down, two to go.

As soon as Link had fired the arrow, though, Dark Darmani was moving in again, and Dark Mikau had sent the fin boomerangs his way. Link quickly took his shield out to deflect the boomerangs, and then he backflipped to avoid another crushing haymaker from the shadowy Goron.

Dark Mikau dashed toward Link and tried to land another three-hit combo. But Link was ready. He had a single arrow in his hand, and concentrated his magic energy into it and powered it up as an ice arrow. As Dark Mikau threw a punch, Link ducked and stabbed it in its midsection with his ice arrow. The shadowy Zora then vanished in the same manner that the Dark Scrub had. Now only Dark Darmani remained...

And it was already upon him. Just as Dark Mikau's form had evaporated, the shadow Goron had closed in on Link and hit him with an flaming uppercut. Link was painfully propelled several feet into the air and landed hard on his back a few feet away, creating a huge splash. And Dark Darmani didn't let up for a second, immediately moving towards Link again with its fist reared back, meaning to strike him while he was still down.

But Link had other plans. He remained on the ground and let Dark Darmani get close, and once it got close enough and started to bring its fist down, Link leaped upwards with his sword drawn. Once he was directly over Dark Darmani, he angled his sword downwards and as gravity took him down, the tip of his sword went straight into Dark Darmani's back. And this caused Link to bounce upwards slightly, only to come back down with another stab. Link was able to hit Dark Darmani repeatedly in this manner, and after landing six consecutive hits, its body vanished just as the other two shadow figures had.

As soon as it did, the room's illusion vanished as well. Gone was the endless expanse of water shrouded in fog, and Link was now standing in another square room that happened to have a huge hole in one of the walls. And in the center of the room, there was a large treasure chest. "Whew," said Link as he walked over to the chest and opened it, anxious to claim his prize.

What was inside was certainly a funny-looking piece of equipment. The item consisted of a metallic, blue sphere that was roughly the size of his fist. On one side there was what looked like a long musical horn, and on the adjacent side of the sphere was a hole. And on one side, perpendicular to the horn-like attachment and hole, there was a single button.

_What the heck is this thing?_ Link thought curiously as he reached down to grab it. But then, it began floating, and soon it was levitating above the treasure chest. It then moved toward Link and attached itself to the bottom of his magnetic gauntlet, with the horn-like part facing outward, right underneath his hand.

_What the... how did... _ Link thought, more confused than ever as he stared at the strange item that had attached itself to his guantlet. Curious, he pressed in the button, which was now positioned directly underneath his forearm.

Nothing happened. However, Link heard a distinctive sound within the weird item. It sounded as if some sort of spring was inside the device; it sounded similar to the spring-loaded mechanism used in his hookshot. _A spring? Hmmm, maybe it's used to fire something. But what?_

Link considered it for a moment. Then he remembered something he had found earlier: the seeds left behind by the Skulltulla in the elevator room. And he had found plenty more seeds after that.

Convinced that he had figured out its function, Link hastily took out a single seed and popped it through the device's hole. Then he held out his left arm and pressed in the button on the bottom.

The seed was fired out of the trumpet-like part at an extreme velocity, and Link could barely see it. When the seed struck the wall, it rebounded off of it and came flying back, whizzing by Link's right arm. Link then heard it ricochet off the wall behind him and come back. This time, the seed hit the treasure chest and it cracked open, letting out a huge cloud of sallow gas that engulfed everything within a ten foot radius. The gas instantly made Link's eyes water and he started coughing uncontrollably after accidentally breathing it in.

After about a minute, though, the gas dissipated and Link was able to breathe freely and see clearly again. _OK, it's a seed shooter,_ he thought. _I'll definitely have to be careful how I use it, though._

Confident that his task in the room was complete, Link exited it through the hole Zelda's fist had made. Once he stepped back out into the previous room, he was greeted with the sight of Zelda's huge face peering through the hole in the sanctuary wall, which had an expression of nervousness.

"Oh Link, I got so worried!" said the princess once she saw Link exit the room. "Once you went in there, the hole I made disappeared, and when I tried to punch through again I got shocked with some sort of dark magic! Wha-what happened in there?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," said Link confidently, smiling. Truthfully, though, he didn't feel so hot. He could still feel where the shadow monsters had hit him, and they had hit hard.

Zelda smiled back at him. "Well, as long as you're OK," she said sweetly. "Find anything important?"

"Yeah, a seed shooter," answered Link, holding up his left arm to show the princess his new weapon. "And I saw plenty of places in here where I'll need this."

"That's good," said Zelda. "The sooner we get Saria out of here, the better."

"I know," said Link morbidly. "I'm going back down to the lower levels. Oh, and keep listening in case I need you to do some radical remodeling again, OK?"

"OK Link," said Zelda. Link nodded, then turned to go back down the dark tunnel.

Once he came out of the tunnel, he was back in the room with the domed switch that he had been unable figure out. But now Link smiled to himself, knowing he had the means of solving this puzzle. He stood at the edge of the hole in the floor, in front of the switch, and reached upwards with his left arm. He then popped another seed into the shooter attachment and pressed the firing button. The seed bounced off the ceiling and, since Link had angled the shot perfectly, went through the hole in the top of the dome.

Link heard the familiar sound of a crystal switch being activated. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small chest materialize near the hole in the floor. He pried it open with his foot and, just as he had expected, it contained a small key. Link quickly snatched it up, then continued his trek back through the rest of the sanctuary.

* * *

Zelda knelt by the walls of the Giants' sanctuary, still looking through the hole she had made. Just one punch from her, and a wall of solid concrete brick had crumbled! That was one of the advantages of being a giantess: you had the strength to do just about anything. _At least I was able to help Link out this time,_ she thought. 

But Zelda didn't take much solace from that. Sure, she had saved Link the trouble of finding the key for that door, and thus he would be able to reach Saria sooner. But the fact that she couldn't do more still rankled.

What was worse was the cold feeling of dread she still had. Even though something was interfering with her Sage's bond with Saria and she couldn't sense anything, Zelda's instincts told her that something horrific was being done to Saria. And if Link didn't rescue her soon, Zelda feared it would be too late.

* * *

Link slowly advanced through the long hallway that ran directly underneath the mansion, which was almost exactly like the passageway on the sublevel of Saria's temple. The bricks were a noxious reddish-brown color, and on several areas along the walls, patches of slimy moss and toxic molds were growing out from between the bricks. Not only that, grimy swamp water was dripping down from the top of the hallway as well. 

But for Link, the most nauseating things in that hallway were the filthy Dexihands that came out of the walls and ceiling, trying to strangle him. His boomerang made short work of them, but the sheer number of them made getting through the hallway a very slow process.

_Ugh, I don't have time to waste!_ he thought angrily as he tossed his boomerang again, which sliced off another Dexihand. After acquiring the seed shooter, he had gotten through the other areas of the mansion pretty quickly, but the insane amount of monsters everywhere was slowing him down. Link couldn't help but to think that if the mansion wasn't so infested with hostiles, he'd already have the boss key.

Eventually, a tired and aching Link made it to the other end of the hallway, where there was a locked door. Fortunately, Link still had a key this time, and he quickly unlocked it and went through the door. Link found himself inside another spacious, square room that had a large chest in the middle, and this one had the familiar blue paint and golden casings of those chests which contained boss keys.

But there was nothing else in the room that would keep him from reaching the chest. No ring of fire around the chest, no enemies guarding it, nothing. It was just sitting there in the middle of the room. This worried Link. Surely, the boss key couldn't be this easy to take!

He looked through the Lens of Truth to see if there was any sort of hidden trap, but the lens revealed nothing unusual. Still, Link was certain that there must be some nasty surprise awaiting him, but what else could he do? He needed that key to go and rescue Saria.

Link cautiously crept toward the chest with his sword and shield out, anticipating some sort of trap to be sprung on him at any second. But nothing of the sort happened as he got closer to the chest. _OK, so far so good,_ he thought as he continued to tiptoe towards the chest, now only six feet away from it. Now he was only four feet away... three feet... two feet... one...

The instant Link stepped directly in front of the treasure chest, thick, wooden roots shot out of the ground surrounding it, and tightly wrapped themselves around it. Link yelped in surprise and stumbled backward, watching as a thick wooden stem came up out of the ground underneath the chest, raising it up about four fet from the ground. _Knew it,_ Link thought irritably, preparing to charge forward and cut through the roots.

Then, something began sprouting out of the roots covering the front of the chest. Within seconds, Link found himself facing what looked like the head of a Big Deku Baba, snarling and snapping. This one looked a little different though; it was a pale shade of teal with black spots, instead of the usual violent shade of purple. Furthermore, this one had rows of pointy, razor-sharp teeth.

Link reared back his left arm to stab through it, but then he noticed that fire was building up within its mouth. He reacted just in time, bringing up his Mirror Shield just as the flower head spat out a fireball. The fireball harmlessly struck his shield, and then he brought his sword down on the flower head with a mighty downward slash. But his blade was unable to cut through the flower, and the plant monster didn't even seem to be hurt.

The flower head was building up another fireball, and Link, noticing this, brought up his shield again and walked backward. It spat out another ball of flame, but Link sidestepped to the right, and it harmlessly flew past and smacked into the wall behind him. Link carefully began to circle around the root-covered chest, and saw that not only the front of it had sprouted a flame-spewing flower, but there were flowers on the right side and back as well, and there was probably one coming out of the left side too.

_Alright, so there's four fire-breathing flowers, but my sword is useless. What now?_ he pondered as he continued to circle the plant monster with his shield in front of him. Link decided to try his arrows next. He powered up a fire arrow and shot it at the flower on the right side, but it merely bounced off its thick, waxy exterior and disintegrated into ashes.

Link then tried an ice arrow, and this time there was some effect. The entire flower became encased in a block of ice. But a second later, the flower in front of the chest turned and let out a stream of flame, which quickly melted the ice.

_Ugh, so arrows are useless too!_ he thought, now getting a little worried. His sword and arrows didn't work, and he could already tell that his boomerang, hookshot and seed shooter would be useless too. It was too dangerous to try fighting as a Zora or Deku Scrub, and he doubted a Goron's strength would be of much use. That left only his...

"BOMBS!" Link cried out as he fished out a bomb and lit the fuse. He carefully closed in on the right-side flower, which was opening its mouth, ready to spit out another fireball. Link tossed the bomb into its open maw, and its flower pod reflexively shut. A second later, the bomb exploded, blowing off the flower completely.

_Gotcha,_ Link thought smugly as he moved to the back of the chest with another bomb in hand, ready to repeat the process.

It wasn't long before Link blew all four flowers off, and once he did, the stem and the roots surrounding the chest under it withered and died. The treasure chest fell to the floor, and Link wasted no time in retrieving the boss key, playing the Song of Soaring, and warping back to the mansion's entrance.

After swiftly dealing with the respawned Bio Deku Babas in the front hallway, Link was back in the main elevator room, boss key in hand. "Hold on Saria, I'm coming!" Link said resolutely as he stepped into the elevator unit and inserted the key into the lock.

The elevator immediately began moving downward, and Link was thrown into total darkness as the light was cut off. This unnerved him at first, but he forced himself to remain calm and focus on the task ahead of him. Something - or perhaps someone - was keeping Saria prisoner below the swamp mansion, and whatever it was, Link was determined to hunt it down and kill it.

The elevator continued moving downward at a steady pace, with Link still in it, completely in the dark. Now he was beginning to get unnerved again. The elevator in Saria's temple only took a few seconds to reach the lowest level. What was taking this one so long? Just how far down did this elevator shaft go?

It took about two minutes before the elevator finally came to a stop. The elevator had come down in front of yet another narrow hallway lit by wall-mounted torches. Link dashed through the hallway, determined to liberate Saria as soon as possible.

The narrow hallway went on for what seemed like forever, but eventually, Link could see light that wasn't coming from the torches. He then stepped out into what looked like some sort of gigantic, underground colosseum, which was illuminated in a similar manner as the rooms from the previous sanctuary, though not as brightly. The basic structure was similar to the center of Goron City, but on a much more massive scale. It looked like there were about four or five levels to this colosseum-like structure, and the pillars and platforms had plant life in abundance, with vines wrapped around the pillars and moss covering the floors.

The main floor of the colosseum was huge; Link guessed it was about three hundred feet in diameter. He warily stepped out into the colosseum and looked all around, expecting some giant monster to emerge and immediately attack him. Any creature that resided in a place this spacious had to be colossal indeed.

But no giant beast showed itself as Link cautiously stepped into the colosseum. However, he did see a strange, black mass in the very center of the colosseum. Link squinted, trying to make out what it was, and he thought he could see a bunch of black tendrils coming out of the ground, and they appeared to be wrapped around something.

Link ran towards the object in the colosseum's center, and as he got nearer, he could see they were indeed shadowy tendrils, and they were wrapped around a person. When he was about fifty feet away, Link could make out who was ensnared in the tendrils: Saria.

"Saria!" Link called out to his friend as he took out his bow. "Saria, I'm coming!" As he continued to run toward the mass of tendrils, he powered up a light arrow and fired it. Once it hit the area below Saria, the tendrils relinquished their hold on her and let her fall to the ground. They began whipping about violently, obviously affected adversely by the light arrow's energy.

Link had now run up to where Saria had fallen, and he fired another light arrow down at the base of the mass of tendrils before they could grab hold of her again. This time, they were vaporized altogether.

"Saria! Saria, please answer me!" Link creid out desperately as he knelt down beside Saria. She was unconscious and looked very pale. Link placed his fingers against the side of her neck, checking for a pulse. He could feel a pulse, but it was very faint. _She's alive! I made it in time!_ he thought jubilantly as he picked Saria up. _But she looks very weak. If I take her back to the forest, maybe that'll revitalize her._

Link stood up and looked all around nervously, his oldest friend still held in his arms. Something wasn't right. This had been too easy. Surely, whatever had abducted Saria wouldn't have made it so simple for him to rescue her! And this colosseum... it was big enough to hold a dozen people at Zelda's size. This place was clearly meant to house something huge, but where was it?

"Uhhh... Link..." he heard his friend mutter. He turned his gaze back down to the Kokiri held in his arms. Saria's eyes were now slighltly opened and she was looking at him, but her gaze... it looked cold and unfeeling.

"Saria?" Link said breathlessly, happy that his friend was awake. "Don't worry, I'm getting you out of here. I'm taking you back home."

"You came here?" she asked him, and her voice sounded cold and emotionless as well.

"Yeah, Zelda and I were on our way here already, then we found out someone kidnapped you and..."

"Zelda?" Saria asked acidly, as if the name was something loathsome.

"Uh yeah, she's right outside," said Link, confused by Saria's strange mood. "Why, what's..."

Saria jumped out of Link's arms and turned to face him with an icy, minacious stare. "You chose her over me. You chose a girl you barely knew over the one who's been there for you your entire life," she said, her voice filled with insane jealousy.

Link just stared at Saria, completely nonplussed. This wasn't like Saria at all. What was going on?

"You were closer to me than any of the Kokiri," Saria continued, her voice still saturated with hateful envy. "And when you came back as the Hero of Time, I came to realize just how much I cared for you. But you spurned me! You ran off with the princess!"

Link just continued to stare at Saria, not sure what to make of what she was saying. He had never realized she felt this way about him...

And then, as Link was still staring blankly at Saria, he noticed something odd. She looked a bit taller than normal. After a few seconds, however, Link could actually SEE that she was growing. And after a few more seconds, she grown as tall as Link.

"Uh-oh," Link spluttered, and backed away from Saria nervously. But Saria then lurched forward and backhanded Link across his torso. She now possessed enough physical strength to knock him several feet backward with her blow.

Link quickly got back on his feet, only to see that Saria had grown to be about twice as tall as him, and she was continuing to grow. And the look on her face... it was as if she was relishing this turn of events, that she was gaining more and more power by the second.

"And now, little man, you're going to pay dearly for rejecting me!" Saria screamed hysterically as her growth continued. Link nervously walked backwards, away from her expanding form, not believing what his eyes were telling him. When it was finally over, she had grown to the same proportions that Zelda had.

"Oh Goddesses... you've GOT to be BLEEPing me!" Link blurted out, a surge of panic threatening to overtake him. He had come down here expecting to fight some titanic monster in order to save Saria, but the enemy he was meant to battle was actually Saria herself!

"I loved you Link! More than you'll ever know, more than Zelda ever could!" Saria bellowed from high up, her hysterical voice echoing throughout the underground colosseum. "And if I can't have you... NO ONE CAN!"

* * *

Y'know, I don't know why I bother writing these blurbs at the end of every chapter anymore. I mean, I could say something outrageous, like that I could calculate pi or that I have porcupine-like quills for pubic hair, and no one would care. 

But anyway, anyone read the new issue of EGM? When I read the article about the new Zelda, something caught my attention right away: Princess Zelda holding a rapier. Hot diggity! I hope this means that at some point she joins the fight as a separate A.I., like in the game Beyond Good & Evil. Or maybe she'll even be a playable second character! That would rock. I mean, it's pretty obvious by now that I have a thing for empowered females, isn't it?

So long,  
Grey


	15. Attack of the 60 Foot Kokiri

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 15: Attack of the 60-Foot Kokiri  
6-8-2005  
by Grey

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

Princess Zelda leaned back against the walls of the mansion, rubbing her aching hand. It still hurt from punching a hole through the stone walls. In addition, the burn on her back from Twinrova's heat blast was still stinging as well. She reached back and felt where the blast had burned through her dress. It still stung when she touched it, eliciting a loud hiss from her.

__

Oh, get over it, she thought scoldingly. _Link's suffered a lot worse and he never complains._

Sighing, Zelda stared up into the night sky. Some of the thick clouds had finally blown away, giving the princess a clear view of the stars and the half-moon. For a while, the beauty of the heavens was able to distract her. It was a good thing too; it had been over half an hour since she had last spoken with Link, and she had no idea how far he had gotten since then.

But all of a sudden, Zelda received a progress report in the most unexpected of ways. The bond between her and Saria... somehow, it was working again, and the princess could feel faint traces of the Kokiri girl's emotions.

Zelda gasped from the shock of the bond being reestablished, but then forced herself to focus. Here was an opportunity to find some answers. As she focused her mind, Saria's emotions came through much clearer. Clearly, she was feeling some powerful emotions at the moment...

But as Zelda concentrated harder, she found Saria was feeling something much different from before. These weren't flashes of paralyzing fear, like before. Now, the princess was receiving flashes of intense hatred and all-consuming jealousy.

"What?" Zelda blurted out, confused by what she was sensing. "What's with all the anger? Why is she..."

Then Zelda caught a glimpse of what Saria was SEEING. She was looking down at the ground, and there was... a tiny man? Upon closer inspection, Zelda recognized who Saria was looking down at: it was Link!

__

What the... did Link shrink? Zelda thought nervously. Then the vision of what Saria was seeing came through even clearer, and the princess could make out their surroundings. Wherever the two of them were, it was some sort of huge colosseum, probably buried deep underground. _No, Saria must have grown giant-sized..._

And then, Zelda picked up those feelings of venomous hatred and envy once more. And this time, she was able to find out who Saria's anger was directed at... LINK!

"OH NO!" Zelda cried out as she stood up, realizing what was going on. Somehow, the power of THIS sanctuary's Giant's Mask had infused itself with Saria. And now, for some reason, Saria's heart was filled with rage... and she was going to kill Link!

"No, I've got to stop her! I've got to save Link!" she cried out desperately. She concentrated, trying to pinpoint Saria's location. Once the princess was confident she had located the colosseum she was in, she summoned up her magic and used Farore's Wind...

And almost immediately, she was hit with some sort of energy backlash. It felt as if her body had been struck by lightning... and not even a giantess could withstand that. Zelda fell backward and her giant body slammed onto the marshy ground, creating a loud earthquake.

* * *

Link continued to stare up dumbly at the colossal Kokiri girl, still not believing what he was seeing. A giant Zelda had been bizarre enough to begin with, but now a giant SARIA! And he had never seen Saria look so enraged and hateful before. How could the kindly, gentle girl he grew up with now be so full of hatred and jealousy?

Saria took a broad step forward, and the whole colosseum trembled from her the force of her footstep. She was now only a few meters in front of Link, and then she lifted her foot high up into the air. "Good-bye, Link," Saria muttered cruelly.

Realizing what was coming, Link rolled forward just as Saria brought her foot down. Saria's gigantic boot missed him by mere inches, but the shockwave created by her stomp was so powerful, it propelled him into the air a few feet. Link landed painfully on his back, and since he was now looking straight up, he could see he was directly underneath Saria... and that she was bringing up her other foot.

Link sprang back up and rolled away again, barely avoiding becoming a greasy stain on the sole of Saria's boot. But once again, the shockwave knocked him up into the air and he landed flat on his face. Link quickly scrambled back onto his feet and pulled out his Bunny Hood; it was obvious he needed the extra speed to evade Saria's crushing feet.

With the enhanced speed granted by the Bunny Hood, Link ran out from underneath Saria and back to the colosseum entrance. _I'd better get out of here for now,_ he thought panickingly. _I'll have to come up with a plan and come back..._

But as he neared the exit, Link saw that an iron portcullis had been lowered in front of it. Even as a Goron he would have no luck in removing the obstacle.

"THERE'S NO ESCAPE, LINK!" Saria's voice boomed, and Link could tell she was only a couple dozen feet behind him. Link turned around and looked up, seeing Saria glaring down at him, her features betraying a sense of vindictive delight. "Your Ocarina won't let you get away, either. It's just you and me down here, and sooner or later, I'LL CRUSH YOU!"

To emphasize her point, she leaned forward and tried to stomp on Link again. But thanks to the Bunny Hood, Link was able to evade her. _This is nuts!_ he thought hopelessly. _How am I supposed to fight my best friend? I can't hurt her!_

Link looked up and saw her other foot coming down fast. He dived out of the way just as Saria's boot slammed into the colosseum floor. _Then again, I should be more worried about making sure she doesn't KILL me!_

It was then that Link noticed another opening in the stone walls surrounding the arena. Link doubted it led out of the colosseum, but it would probably let him hide for a few minutes and catch his breath, and it most likely led to the upper levels. If so, then he would have time to come up with a plan and perhaps get at Saria some other way. At the very least, he'd be out of reach of her feet.

Deciding it was his best chance, Link dashed toward the opening. Almost immediately he heard Saria give chase, her deafening footfalls almost knocking him off his feet. But thankfully, he reached the passageway a split second before Saria would've been on top of him.

The passageway led to a dimly-lit, winding tunnel, where the walls had vines and moss growing all over. _If this place is like Goron City,_ Link thought, _I should be able to find some way up to the top levels, and then maybe..._

"You can't hide from me that way, Link!" Saria bellowed, her voice echoing through the tunnels. "I've got eyes everywhere!"

Link briefly wondered what she meant by that, but didn't have long to ponder. As he dashed through the tunnel, a Deku Baba suddenly burst out of the ground right in front of him, and a second emerged from the left wall, just behind the first one. Link deftly dispatched the plant monsters with his sword, but their appearance unnerved him. _Oh no, is Saria able to control all the plants in here?_ he thought nervously.

Link then came to a left-right junction. Deciding it was best to keep moving, Link quickly picked the right path, and was rewarded by a flight of stairs stretched out in front of him. His intuition had proven correct: there was a way to the upper levels.

After climbing the stairs, the tunnel stretched onward toward the left. Link continued to run, hoping to find a way back out into the main colosseum. _Then again, what use is it?_ he thought glumly. _What chance do I have? What good are my weapons against her?_

As Link was trying to think of a plan of attack, he turned right at another fork. What awaited around the bend was a giant hand, ready to grab hold of him. It was as if Saria knew exactly where he'd show up.

"What the!" Link yelped in surprise as Saria's hand loomed closer to snatch him up. He had no time to wonder how Saria figured out where he was - he had to act fast or else Saria would have him. He unsheathed his sword and plunged it up into the palm of her hand.

An ear-splitting scream of pain resounded throughout the colosseum and echoed into the tunnels. Saria withdrew her arm from the tunnel, leaving Link to stare at his sword. His sword had gone in up to the hilt, and was now coated in viscous, crimson blood.

At the beginning, Link had hoped that wasn't actually Saria he was facing, but the blood on his sword was proof it was a living being out there. This wasn't some machine like the Desert Colossus copy, or some sort of elaborate illusion. There was no doubt about it... that was the REAL Saria out there!

__

It's really her out there! Link thought, unable to deny it any longer. _But how... how did this happen to her? Maybe whatever brought her here... something must be manipulating her._

Link then saw Saria's hand coming for him again, and decided it was best to retreat. _I don't get it!_ Link thought irritably. _How did she know where I was? What..._

And then, after once again noticing the moss and vines, it hit him. The plants. Through them, Saria could sense exactly where he was. If that was the case, there was no chance of eluding her. Unless...

Link took off his Bunny Hood, and then slapped on his Stone Mask. Then he continued his trek through the tunnels, praying the mask would let him elude Saria. He made it back to the fork and this time went down the left path. As soon as he did, he saw Deku Babas had sprouted along the hall, snapping wildly in every direction.

__

It worked, Link thought. _Saria can't sense me anymore, so she's trying to find me via the Deku Babas._ He then cautiously went forward, doing his best to sneak by the plant creatures without touching them. If he hoped to catch Saria off-guard somehow, he couldn't give her any clues of his whereabouts.

Eventually, he found some stairs, and then a path that led out onto the colloseum's third level. But this time, there was no giant, child-like hand trying to grab hold of him. Link cautiously crept out onto the third level and peered down below; Saria was hunched over about fifty feet away, looking at other exits along the second level. She obviously hoped to catch him whenever he emerged.

__

Here's my chance, Link thought as he took out his bow and powered up a light arrow. _If something evil's affected her, maybe some light arrows will dispel it._ He hoped his remaining magic energy was enough, since he had no green medicine to replenish it.

Link fired off a light arrow and it hit her on the side of the head. Saria immediately turned toward Link and stared fixedly at him. Apparently the Stone Mask couldn't hide him from Saria's own eyes. Saria stood up again and stomped toward Link, who hastily fired more light arrows at her. If the arrows had any affect, Saria did not show it.

"So much for that idea," Link spat dejectedly as he turned and ran across the third level. He realized it was foolish to believe that any of his weapons - even the light arrow - could do any damage to Saria. She was far too massive now.

Link didn't have much luck staying ahead of the titanic Kokiri; she had broke into a run and made it to the area in front of him. The third platform came up to her shoulders, but it was still low enough to let her attack Link. She formed a fist with her right hand and tried to bring it down onto Link. But Link turned and ran in the opposite direction just as her fist came down onto the platform with a thunderous crash. He then took off the Stone Mask and donned the Bunny Hood again, and just in time too. Saria had then tried to swat him with her outstretched hand, and she would have succeeded if Link had been any slower.

__

There's GOT to be some way of stopping her! Link thought desperately as he continued running, racking his brains trying to figure out a way. He couldn't see how any of his old weapons or masks would help, but what about some of the new gear he had found? No, the magnetic gauntlet was useless too, since there was no metal in Saria's body to manipulate. And what could the seed shooter possibly do?

But the treasure found in a dungeon was almost always instrumental in defeating its guardian. Seeing no other choice, Link loaded a seed into the shooter, turned around, and fired it at Saria's face.

Link's sudden motion caught Saria off-guard, and she had no chance to block the incoming seed. It hit her on the tip of her nose, cracking open and releasing its noxious gas. The resulting cloud of gas encompassed Saria's entire face, and she accidently breathed it in. "Ugh!" Saria muttered, then she slumped to the floor, gagging and coughing uncontrollably

.Link peered over the edge and saw Saria was on all fours, still coughing violently. _Of course, the gas in the seeds!_ thought Link, slightly encouraged. _But it's only temporary. Soon she'll..._

Just as Link expected, Saria soon stopped coughing and was back on her feet. She turned back toward Link, both hands clenched tightly into fists, and she looked madder than ever. _ACK! I knew it! What good are the seeds if they only stun..._

And then, out of the corner of his eye, Link saw something on the platform he had missed before: a Deku Flower.

This gave Link an idea. It was a longshot, but it was probably the only way of knocking Saria out.

Saria clamped her fists and tried to bring them down onto Link, but once again he managed to elude her. Good thing, too, because they made part of the platform crumble away. The impact almost knocked Link off his feet, but he forced himself to keep his balance as he reloaded his seed shooter and fired. This time, however, Saria saw it coming, and ducked her head.

__

Oh great, thought Link as he popped in another seed. But Saria didn't give him another chance to fire; she swept along the platform with her right hand, hoping to scoop Link up. Link managed to evade her by quickly backing up against the wall.

__

Got to make another direct hit, or I'm cooked! Link thought fearfully. But Saria would probably dodge another direct assault, so he had to find a way to get the seed to rebound and hit her. Fortunately, there was a support pillar to Link's right, and that gave him the opportunity he needed. As Saria reached for him again, Link turned and fired the seed at the pillar. It ricocheted and hit Saria's cheek, releasing its sallow gas. Once again, she slumped down to the colosseum floor while coughing non-stop.

__

Gotta move FAST! Link thought with a sense of urgency as he jumped over the gap in the platform and ran up to the Deku Flower. He then slapped on his Deku Mask, transformed into a diminutive scrub, and burrowed himself into it. When he launched out of the flower, it propelled him almost a hundred feet into the air.

__

YES! Link thought as he maneuvered himself with the propeller flowers, trying to position himself above Saria. Once he was directly over Saria's head, he took off the Deku Mask. As he was reverting to his human form, he slapped on the Goron Mask and turned into Darmani. He had done all this in one swift motion, so by the time he was a Goron, he had only fallen about ten feet.

__

Saria, please forgive me for this, he thought somberly as he curled up his body and forced himself downward using his pound maneuver. His curled form plummeted straight down with incredible velocity, and his sharp spikes protruded as well...

And just as Saria was recovering from the seed's gas, he slammed directly onto the top of her head with a sickening smack. Link rolled off Saria's head and hit the ground hard. The impact was a little painful, but while curled up, it wasn't fatal. He then uncurled to see what had been accomplished.

Looking up, Link saw Saria covering the top of her head with both hands, her eyes screwed shut and her teeth clenched tightly. He could even see some blood trickling through her green hair down onto her forehead.

It had worked. He had finally found a way to hurt Saria. A few more impacts like that, and he could knock her unconscious. But Link couldn't help feeling guilty for inflicting such pain on Saria, and continued to stare up at her regretfully.

Eventually, Saria regained her senses and stood up again, and looked around until she spotted Link. "Good move, but not good enough!" she bellowed as she moved in to stomp him.

This snapped Link to attention, and he curled up again and wheeled away from her. As he continued rolling, his spikes popped out and his magic kicked in, and he went even faster. Eventually, he made it back to the tunnel entrance on the first level, but he had depleted the last of his magic power.

__

Won't be able to use that to avoid her anymore, he thought as removed the Goron Mask. He then slapped the Stone Mask back on once he was human again, and starting retracing his steps through the tunnels to reach the Deku Flower on the third level, careful to avoid the probing Deku Babas.

As he climbed the stairs that led to the third floor, Link could hear Saria scream, "Oh, by the way, don't count on using that Deku Flower again!"

__

Huh? How'd she figure it out? Link thought confusedly as he made his way through the tunnels. Eventually, he made it back to outer platform, and turned to look where the Deku Flower was...

That part of the platform was gone. It looked as if Saria has ripped it clean off.

"Looking for this?" he heard Saria ask smugly. Link turned in the direction of her booming voice, and saw her standing a few dozen meters away, glaring at him and holding the platform piece in her hand. "You want it? Here!" she sneered as she reached back to toss it.

Link ran to the right just as Saria hurled the concrete slab. And slammed into the colosseum walls with tremendous force, missing Link by only a few feet. _Great, my once chance to beat her, gone! Now what... wait a minute, there's got to be another flower somewhere else!_ he reasoned.

After dodging another attempt by Saria to swat him, Link ran to the edge of the platform and glanced at the level below. Fortune was with him, for on the level beneath him was another Deku Flower.

Wasting no time, Link reloaded his seed shooter and leaped down to the second level. After coming out of a roll, he fired the seed at Saria's face, who didn't have enough time to move her head. The giant Kokiri girl collapsed yet again, her violent coughing echoing throughout the arena.

And so, Link repeated the process: launching himself from the flower, transforming from Deku scrub to Goron while in midair, and crashing down onto Saria's head while curled up.

This time, though, Saria was on her feet again almost immediately after Link was back on the ground. Instead of trying to squash him, however, she reached out and grabbed the part of the second level that had the Deku Flower, and promptly yanked it off.

Saria hurled it down at Link, but by now he was in human form again and wearing the Bunny Hood, so he easily dashed out of harm's way. Then he started running back to the passage on the ground level, but Saria moved in to try and stomp him. Link glanced upward to see the incoming foot, and also caught a glimpse of Saria's face. Even more blood was trickling down through her hair, and unsurprisingly, she looked even angrier than before.

Link easily dodged Saria's foot and dashed into the tunnel, then switched the Bunny Hood for the Stone Mask and began sneaking through the tunnels again. _The flowers on the second and third levels are gone,_ Link thought. _But maybe there's one more on the top level._

After what seemed like an eternity, he managed to find his way out onto the fourth level. He looked around nervously, anticipating an attack at any moment. But there was no sign of Saria, and then Link realized she wasn't tall enough to attack him on the fourth level. "Finally I catch a break," he muttered as he ran along the circular platform, looking for another Deku Flower.

But Link didn't run far before he heard a resonating rumbling noise from below. Wondering what Saria was up to, Link looked over the edge...

And Saria's head shot up and loomed over the platform. She had climbed up to reach the fourth level.

Saria's sudden appearance shocked Link so much that he staggered backwards, almost falling. Fortunately, he got over his surprise long enough to spot her left hand reaching for him. He quickly donned the Bunny Hood and darted to the left as fast as he could, and Saria went after him, edging along the colosseum.

Thankfully, Link soon found what he was looking for: the last Deku Flower. As soon as he was near enough, he loaded his seed shooter and whirled around. He had been just in time: Saria was now only about ten meters away, and she was ready to swat him with her right hand. Link promptly fired the seed at her face, and once again his swift actions caught her unawares and she accidently inhaled the gas.

The results were predictable. Saria lost all sense of balance, not to mention her grip and footholds on the colosseum platforms. She crashed down onto the arena floor, and the entire colosseum shook with the force of an erupting volcano. Link then transformed into a Deku scrub and launched himself out of the one remaining flower. As he looked down, he saw Saria was flat on her back, both hands clamped around her throat.

As Link positioned himself over her head, he silently prayed that this final impact would be enough to knock her unconscious. Not only would Saria undoubtedly remove the last Deku Flower if she recovered, but Link didn't feel as if he could cope with battling her anymore. It had tore him up inside every time he gassed her and slammed into her head as a Goron.

Eventually, Link was in the right position. He switched from his Deku form to his Goron one, and curled up and dropped down. He slammed into the middle of Saria's forehead, and this time he could feel her warm, sticky blood ooze out of the punctures his spikes made. Link almost felt like vomiting. He had drawn blood plenty of times before, but being forced to draw the blood of his best friend was too much to bear.

Link rolled off her forehead and down to the floor, took off his Goron Mask, and turned to look at Saria while backing away. Saria's eyes were shut, her arms were sprawled out, and except for the slow rising and falling of her chest, she wasn't moving at all. It looked as if he had triumphed, but for him, it didn't feel like a victory.

For a few minutes, Link just stood there, staring blankly at the knocked-out Kokiri. "What now?" he thought aloud with uncertainty. "Saria obviously has the mask's power now. Where is it though? To get it, do I have to... kill her?"

As that horrible thought raced through his mind, Link became aware of a wetness all along his back. He reached back and touched it, then looked at his hand. It was Saria's blood. It was still all over his backside.

Link continued to stare down at his blood-soaked hand, sickened by what he had done, and horrified by the notion that he'd have to slay her to get the second Giant's Mask. But a sudden shifting sound snapped him back to attention.

Looking up, Link saw that Saria had regained consciousness, and had shifted her head to glare hatefully at Link. If she was truly being manipulated by some sinister force, those blows to the head sure as hell hadn't freed her from it. And before Link could move away from the awakened giantess, Saria reached over with her right hand and grabbed hold of him. She had finally gotten him.

Saria slowly stood up, all the while glaring at Link as she held him tightly in her enclosed hand. Her grasp was unbearably tight, and Link struggled with all his might to free himself. But it was no use: Saria had more strength in one hand than he did in his entire body.

"You know, I was going to make your death quick and easy," Saria sneered as she rubbed her bloodied, aching forehead. "But now that you've REALLY pissed me off, I'm going to finish you nice and slow. Good-bye, old friend."

And with that, Saria began to steadily tighten her grip, slowly crushing Link to death. "Ack! No! Saria, please! Don't do this! Y-you can't... AAHHH!"

But Saria paid no attention to Link's pleas for mercy. She merely continued to stare at him icily as she tightened her hold on him even more. The pain was becoming too much, and Link knew that in another few seconds his body would snap in half. And now, everything was going black...

But suddenly, he was snapped back into consciousness by the sensation of being shaken about violently, and for some reason, Saria's grip was loosening. _Wha... what's going on?_ Link thought, still in a painful daze. As his vision returned, he looked up at Saria.

And behind her, he saw Zelda. She had brought her left arm underneath Saria's armpit and slung it around her chest, pulling the Kokiri girl up against her. And Link saw that the princess's right arm was stretched out toward him.

"Let him go! LET HIM GO!" Zelda shrieked in a deafening voice as she held onto the struggling Kokiri girl. Link looked around, and saw Zelda's fingers were wrapped around Saria's fist, trying to pry him loose from her grip.

In one swift action, Zelda shoved Saria forward so that her fist was positioned over the second level's outer platform. Then she pulled Saria's fist apart, finally freeing Link and letting him drop onto the platform.

"Link, hide!" ordered the princess as he struggled to stand up. Then she turned around and threw Saria against the ground, and the tremor caused by the impact almost made Link trip and fall off the platform. But he kept his balance and ran behind a nearby support pillar.

"You fool! You saved me the trouble of finding you!" Link heard Saria scream, followed by the sound of loud footfalls coming closer. Link peered out from behind the pillar to see Saria rashly charging at Zelda.

But despite having become a giantess like Zelda, Saria had only acquired the same proportions the princess had. Thus, Zelda was about forty feet taller and had much more physical strength. She lashed out with both hands and effortlessly shoved Saria backwards, and she stumbled and fell yet again.

"Saria, I'm sorry about this," Zelda said in a regretful tone. "But it's for your own good." From his vantage point behind the pillar, Link saw her hands begin to glow brightly with magical energy. As Saria was standing up, Zelda lurched forward, and then the whole colosseum became illuminated with blazing magical light.

Link retreated back behind the pillar and tightly shut his eyes, praying that the princess knew what she was doing. He couldn't see what was going on, but he could hear the distinctive sounds of punches being thrown and the shocks of magical energy.

After about a minute, the flashes of light ceased, as did the sounds of battle. Then Link heard Zelda say, "Come on out, Link. It's over."

__

Oh no, don't let that mean that... that... Link began to think fearfully as he came out from behind the pillar. He was greeted by the sight of Zelda's enormous face looming over the platform, worry and sorrow etched in her features.

"Link, are you OK?" Zelda asked shakily.

His entire body ached from Saria's attempt to crush him to death, and he was exhausted from the battle. "I'm... alive," Link said at length. But he was more concerned about Saria. "What about Saria? Where... what happened to..."

Zelda hung her head shamefully, then brought up her outstretched hand for Link to see. In the palm of her hand lay Saria's still body, back to her normal size. Also in her hand was what looked like a wooden mask - a wooden mask shaped like his old Giant's Mask.

Link leaped up onto her hand and kneeled by Saria's unconscious body, feeling for her pulse. Once again, it was disturbingly faint. "She's herself again. I undid whatever power made her insane," Zelda said lugubriously as he examined his friend's body. "She was obviously brought here to serve as this dungeon's guardian. Some evil force toyed with her emotions, making her jealousy rage out of control. Then she was granted the mask's power, and..."

But Link wasn't really listening to Zelda's explanation; he was more preoccupied with the knocked-out Kokiri. "She loved me, and I never knew," he breathed sorrowfully. "All this time, and I never suspected. I-I never..."

He then scooped Saria up into his arms and hugged her tightly. "Oh Saria, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," he said apologetically, tears streaming down his cheeks as he cradled Saria while sitting in the palm of Zelda's hand.

* * *

Link walked into Saria's house, holding its tenant in his arms. He looked down at his friend again; she now had bandages wrapped around her head and left hand - the areas where Link had drawn blood during their battle. That knowledge still turned Link's stomach. Whatever force safeguarded that sanctuary must be truly sick if it chose Saria, his oldest friend, to be the giant-sized guardian of the mansion.

Shaking his head, Link walked over to Saria's bed and gently laid her down. Link stared at her unmoving body for a monent, then in a pleading voice he said, "Saria, I hope you can find it in heart to forgive me. I don't know if I can forgive myself... for hurting you this way. I-I cant..."

An astonished yelp from the doorway cut Link off. He turned to see Mido standing there, a look of confusion on his face. "You? Wha-what are you doing here?"

Link didn't say anything in response. He merely looked back down at Saria's battered body. Mido then saw what he was looking at and ran over to the bed. "Saria? Her fairy said that something kidnapped her," Mido said as he looked her over.

"Those bandages... what happened?" Mido asked accusingly. Then he whirled and eyed Link with a cold stare. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!"

Link merely hung his head, and said, "I broke her heart."

He then turned to leave, leaving Mido beside Saria's bed. "Mido, do me a favor," he called back. "When she wakes up, tell her... I'm sorry. Tell her she has every right to be angry with me." And before Mido could say anything in response, Link took out the Ocarina of Time, played the Song of Soaring, and vanished in a swirl of white feathers.

* * *

Link reappeared by the overpass that led to the Snowhead Temple. It was now midnight, but now that the half-moon was unobscured by clouds, one could make out some of the environment. The snow that had blanketed the region had almost completely melted due to the arrival of spring. It was a good thing, too, since an abundance of snow would have proven troublesome for him and his companion.

Link leaned over the right side of the naturally-formed rock bridge, stuck his fingers in his mouth, and whistled loudly. His whistle echoed throughout the entire area; no doubt she would hear it.

And indeed she did. Seconds later, he could hear the sounds of someone down below climbing up the mountainous walls. Someone big.

Soon enough, Zelda's gigantic head came up to the right of the owl statue Link had appeared by. One look at her, and it was obvious that the events of the past day had weighed heavily on her. Her hair was a mess, and she looked as if she would pass out from exhaustion, much like he did. "Link, you're back already?" she asked him.

"Yeah, why?" Link asked, confused by her question.

Zelda shook her head. "No reason, really. I figured you'd stay with Saria for a while."

"She's still out cold," said Link. "And besides, it's too painful to be around her right now, after what happened."

Zelda could tell that Link still was feeling guilty about Saria, but she couldn't think of anything to say that would alleviate his grief. At length, she simply said, "Climb on," and Link obliging leaped onto her shoulder and grabbed some of her hair to secure himself.

Then began Zelda's climb downward into the valley below the Snowhead area. Link had brought her here, thinking its vastness made it an ideal place for her to sleep after a long day's trek across Termina.

Soon enough, Zelda had reached the bottom, and turned and slumped down against the mountainous wall. She then reached down and grabbed a nearby patch of large mushrooms - the same kind of mushrooms found within the cave she and Link had taken residence in. Zelda tore off a little piece of a mushroom and handed it to Link. "Here, eat up," she told him, then she ravenously stuffed the rest into her mouth.

"Still hungry?" Link asked her as he prodded the mushroom piece with his finger, not really feeling like eating.

"Yes. The last time I ate anything was this morning, remember?" Zelda replied. "Besides, you should be hungrier than me, considering all you had to go through today."

Link tossed his mushroom portion down into the valley below. "I can't eat," he said dejectedly. "I'm too angry at myself right now."

"Link..." Zelda breathed, knowing that he was still overcome with guilt about Saria, but not knowing what to say about it.

"I hadn't the faintest clue about how she felt about me, and I broke her heart!" Link said loathingly. "And now... now I feel so guilty, knowing that I've found love, but she's left with nothing but shattered dreams."

Zelda still couldn't think of anything to say that would allay Link's anguish. After all, she felt a little bad about the situation herself: she was the one Link had chosen over Saria.

So Zelda chose to try and comfort Link throught different means. She reached up and plucked Link off her shoulder and placed him on her chest.

"WHAT THE?" Link cried out in confusion once he figured out where the princess had put him. "Zelda, what are you..."

Link's voice trailed off as Zelda slung her forearm across her chest, pressing his tiny body closer to her and hugging him tightly. "Hush, Link. You shouldn't blame yourself," she said softly, bringing up her fingertip to pet his head gently. "Like you said, you had no idea."

Link tried to think of something to say, but the exhaustion from conquering two separate dungeons in one day was finally catching up to him. He slowly drifted off to sleep, sandwiched between her hard arm muscles and soft breasts, and enveloped in her comforting warmth.

* * *

* * *

Inspiration can come from the weirdest places. Remember Neversoft's excellent Spider-Man game on the PS1? In that game, there was a boss battle where Spidey fought a giant Mysterio robot. That's what inspired this chapter.

Oh, and since this is the next-to-last chapter (I hope) , I wanna clear something up. After talking with a couple readers, I've realized that some people must think I'm a girl. I guess it's logical to assume that, since there's a lot of mushy, romantic moments. Well, believe it or not, I'm a guy. A guy who obviously has an unhealthy fondness for supersized ladies, but a guy nonetheless.

So long,  
Grey


	16. The Size Of Your Shadow

Back In Her Hands  
a Legend of Zelda romance fic  
Chapter 16: The Size Of Your Shadow  
6-15-2005  
by Grey 

Disclaimer: I don't own the Zelda series or any of its characters; Nintendo and the series' creator Shigeru Miyamoto do. So don't sue me or anything.

This fic is dedicated to CubedCinder128, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

* * *

When Zelda awakened, it was almost noon in Termina. The rays of the sun angled straight down into the canyons around the Snowhead Temple, rousing the princess from her peaceful slumber. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and after a few seconds she sat up, stretching and letting out a sonorous yawn that echoed all around her. 

Zelda looked all around her, at all the edible mushrooms that had served as a perfect mattress for her titanic body. She snatched one up and slowly began to eat it. As she gobbled it down, she turned and looked at the nearby canyon wall. On a small protruding ledge, Link lay wrapped up in a giant, silky handkerchief Zelda had in her pocket, which she bundled him up in after he had fallen asleep snuggled up to her. The ledge was still submersed in a shadow, and thus the sunlight hadn't awakened him yet.

Leaning over for a better look, Zelda gazed down lovingly at the sleeping Hero of Time. He looked so adorable when he was sleeping. And when he looked about three inches tall, for that matter. But Zelda decided that both of them had had enough sleep and it was time to head out for the final sanctuary. She reached down and gently shook him with her index finger. It took a few nudges before she was able to wake him up.

"Huh? Wh-what?" he muttered weakly as Zelda continued to prod him with her finger. His eyes slowly opened, and he was greeted by the site of Zelda's enormous, smiling face gazing down at him adoringly.

"Morning, love," she said sweetly as Link sat up in his makeshift bed. "Feeling any better?"

Link let out a yawn, then answered, "I guess so. What about you?"

"Having some mixed feelings." Zelda admitted. "We only need one more mask and that salesman can undo my giantism, and I'm anxious for that. But... part of me still gets a thrill from being your giant-sized girlfriend."

Link looked up into her gigantic blue eyes, and said, "Heh. Me too." Zelda smiled again, then brought up her index finger again and carefully brushed her fingertip along Link's side. Link then took her fingertip in both hands, and kissed it. Zelda giggled, feeling giddy from Link's cute romantic display.

But then Zelda noticed Link suddenly hang his head, as if he had remembered something shameful. The princess understood immediately. "Saria," she muttered empathetically.

"Yeah. I wonder if she'll ever get over all that's happened to her," Link replied in a sullen voice.

For a while after that, the two of them said nothing to each other. They merely prepared themselves for venturing outward, dining on a quick breakfast of mushrooms and drinking some cold water obtained by melting what snow remained in the canyon.

Eventually, Zelda felt it was time to get going. "So, Link, where's the final sanctuary?" she asked, a bit eager to get underway.

"Let's find out," Link replied as he pulled out the salesman's map and unfolded it. His eyes darted over the large piece of paper, trying to find a third ink mark pinpointing the location of a sanctuary.

There wasn't one. All he could find were the ink marks depicting the two previous ones. "WHAT!" Link cried out in disbelief as he looked over the map again. But he couldn't find anything pointing out a third dungeon.

"Link, what is it?" Zelda inquired in a concerned voice. Sighing, Link explained it to her. "How can that be?" she asked nervously. "You're JUST noticing this?"

"Um, oops?" Link muttered sheepishly.

Zelda frowned at him, and said, "It doesn't make any sense. There's got to be FOUR locations marked out on there. Unless, maybe..."

"Unless what?" asked Link, wondering what Zelda was thinking.

"Unless two masks were hidden in each sanctuary," Zelda offered.

Link thought about Zelda's theory for a minute. That would definitely explain why the mask salesman had only marked two locations of the map. But he had searched every square inch of both sanctuaries and hadn't found anything else, besides the equipment hidden away...

And then, he remembered: the empty treasure chest next to the one that contained the magnetic gauntlet.

Link quickly explained to Zelda what he had just deduced. "That's it! The Giant's Mask that started this whole mess must've been hidden in THAT chest! Someone must have stolen it long ago!"

"Uhh, how did the thief manage to get it out?" Zelda asked, scratching her head. "You said that the doors were all locked and everything; no signs that anyone else had gone through it before you. And how did it end up in the Stone Tower Temple?"

Link shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe the thief could phase through walls, I dunno," he answered weakly. "And who knows how it wound up in Ikana."

Zelda thought about it for a moment, then asked, "OK then, but where in the swamp mansion could the last mask be?"

"My best guess would be somewhere in the room where I found the seed shooter. I can't think of any other place it could be," Link replied. "Come on, let's get going."

_Back to the swamp again,_ Zelda thought with a sigh as she carefully plucked Link off the canyon ledge and held him securely in her huge hands. With a thought, she summoned up the magic of Farore's Wind and transported them out of the canyon.

In an instant, Zelda was standing back in front of the bayou mansion. The princess stared blankly at the mansion, remembering all too well what had happened underneath it the previous night. Barely saving your boyfriend from certain death at the last possible second isn't something you can easily forget. But since it was now daytime, it looked a little less foreboding. Still, Zelda didn't want to stay longer than they had to; it now gave her the creeps. "Let's just find that last mask and get back to Hyrule," she said to the little hero in her hands.

"Agreed," Link called out to her. "Walk around to where you punched through the wall. It's got to be in that room." And so, Zelda walked to the side of the mansion and stuck her hand through the hole she had made before, gently setting Link down inside.

Wasting no time, Link ran back into the room where the shadow copies had attacked him. It looked just the same as when he left it: a large square room with an empty treasure chest in the center.

_I don't get it! There should be TWO treasure chests, like there was in the dragon's room,_ Link thought vexatiously as he looked all around for anything unusual, but he found nothing. He then took out his Lens of Truth and looked through it, hoping it would reveal something concealed by illusions.

It did. The magical lens revealed a second treasure chest that Link had missed last night, nestled up against the center of the wall behind the first chest. _This is it!_ he thought excitedly as he walked up to the inivisible chest. He reached over to open it...

And then some sort of pitch-black tentacle wrapped around his right wrist. Link looked to his right and saw what looked like a shadowy squid tentacle coming of the wall and ensnaring his arm, disturbingly similar to the ones that had imprisoned Saria in the colosseum before their battle. He then felt a similar sensation on his left arm, and turned to see another tendril had ensnared it as well.

And in the following second, three more inky-black tendrils shot out out the walls to entrap him. One wrapped around his torso, another around his midsection, and one on his left leg. "Wha... what the..." he cried out, overcome with shock and confusion. Hadn't he already annihilated the shadowy entities in this room, as well as those black tendrils that had entrapped Saria?

Link didn't any time to give it more thought, because the next second the tendrils began to slowly tug at his body, as if to pull him apart. "Uh-oh," he muttered as he wrestled with their grip, but to no avail. "Oh no... OWWW! Zelda... ZELDA, HELP!"

Outside the mansion, Zelda could hear Link's faint, anguished screams. She had been patiently waiting for Link to bring out the final mask, but his tortured pleas snapped her to attention. Peering through the hole in the wall, she could see Link through the other hole. He seemed to have some sort of black wire wrapped around his arms, chest and leg. "Link, what's going on in there?" she called to him worriedly.

"ZELDA, HELP! GET ME OUT OF HERE!" he screamed back at her, extreme pain etched in his panicked voice.

Jarred into action by Link's frantic outburst, Zelda stuck her hand through the holes and grabbed Link's body in her fist. She tried to pull him out, but somehow ever her prodigious strength wasn't able to wrest Link free of the tendrils. And Link, trapped in Zelda's gigantic fist and with tentacles still wrapped around him, waited helplessly. "Umph! Link, I-I can't pull you free!" he heard Zelda cry out, her voice filled with worry.

And then, Link heard the invisible treasure chest pop open, and seemingly out of thin air, a mask floated upwards from where he knew the chest was. It was shaped like the other three Giant's Masks, but this one... it looked like it was molded out of obsidian, but it didn't reflect any light. It looked shadowy, sinister...

The next instant, the tentacles detached from the walls and seemingly turned into a liquid, glue-like form, which spread all over Zelda's fist. The hovering Giant's Mask then lunged forward and embedded itself into that liquid mass, as if to merge with it. _What now?_ he thought, his heart filling with dread as the viscous, black mass continued to writhe across the fingers wrapped around him.

Link felt himself lurch backward as Zelda suddenly pulled her arm out of the mansion. Looking at her hand, she saw the black goo on her fist. "Ack! What the... GET OFF ME!" she shrilled fearfully, shaking her hand violently in an attempt to get the shadowy, gluey mass off and obviously forgetting she was still holding Link.

However, the black glop eventually came off on its own. It evaporated off of her hand, turning into a dark, smoky mist. Zelda watched in confusion as the last of the glop turned into black mist, and Link, incredibly dizzy from being shaken about like a toy, strained to watch too. The wisp of black mist then gently drifted away from the pair, and it seemed to expand exponentally as it did so. Soon, it expanded into a cloud of mist that could encompass even Zelda.

And before Link and Zelda's eyes, it gradually began to take a shape. Within seconds, the black mist had formed a vague outline of a human body...

After a few more seconds, Link and Zelda let out a collective gasp once they realized what it was turning into... it was shaping itself into a shadowy copy of the princess, which was exactly the same size as her.

Once it had fully materialized, the creature simply stood there, silently observing Zelda and the Hylian man she still held tightly in her hand. "Zelda, look out!" Link warned, realizing the extreme danger Zelda was now in. "This thing'll come at you any second!"

But for some reason, the dark copy of Zelda did not attack them. It merely continued to stand there and stare at the nonplussed princess. And then, through the Sages' bond, Zelda was somehow able to connect with this strange new creature. It was merely a quick flash, lasting only a second or two, but it was enough to realize this: it was cold, malevolent hatred for everything she held dear.

And then, without warning, swirls of black mist circled around Dark Zelda, like a shadowy version of Farore's Wind. And a second later, she vanished from their sight.

For a moment, Zelda and Link stared blankly at where the creature had stood. "I-I don't understand," Link spoke up, shattering the silence. "Why didn't it attack? All my dark copies tried to take me out right away!"

"I don't know either," Zelda said, shaking her head. "But we'd better find it. This thing... it's malevolence was overwhelming; no telling what it'll do."

"Not to mention it has the last Giant's Mask," Link added. "I think we should go to Clock Town right now. If it's out to kill and destroy like you say..."

Link didn't need to explain any further - Zelda understood what would happen if her new counterpart attacked the most populated area in Termina. And so, after Link was carefully set down on her shoulder, he played the Song of Soaring. It was a drastic step transporting Zelda directly into the town, but with that thing out there...

As the gigantic white wings wrapped themselves around Zelda, Link remembered one detail: there wasn't much room around the owl statue in the center of Clock Town for her to materialize in. But there were no complications when the two of them reappeared in Clock Town; Zelda's feet were firmly yet precariously planted on the sloping wooden planks that lined the northern part of the town's central area, though her feet would undoubtedly leave giant indentations in the wood.

As soon as they had rematerialized, Link looked down from her shoulder and immediately noticed something was amiss: the Clock Tower was gone!

Link gasped in disbelief, his heart leaping up into his throat. He looked around some more, and saw that scattered about the central part of town, there was debris that he recognized as once being part of the huge tower. And where the Clock Tower had once stood, there was now a smoldering crater with steam rising from it. At looked as if an unfathomable large magnifying glass had been used to burn a tunnel forty feet in diameter, right where the tower once stood.

"AAAAHHHH! ANOTHER ONE!" Link heard a woman scream from down below, snapping him out of his state of shock. Then he heard a man cry out, "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Link looked down, and saw several panicked townspeople running around aimlessly, obviously scared out of their mind.

One thing was all too clear: Dark Zelda had already been here.

"L-Link?" Zelda muttered shakily as she surveyed the destruction, her lip trembling. "W-what's going on here? What d-did that t-thing do?"

"It-it wiped out the tower, a-and it looks like it used Din's Fire to burrow a tunnel under it," replied Link uneasily.

"B-but why?" asked Zelda, her voice still shaky. "Isn't the only thing under it the..."

Then it hit her like ten thousand tons of brick: underneath the Clock Tower was the portal connecting Termina with their own world. And her evil double was tunneling her way back to that world! "LINK! She's making her way to H-Hyrule! She-she's... GOING TO DESTROY IT!" she shrieked fearfully, her face twisted in horror. And if she could have clearly seen Link right then, she'd know his face had a horrified expression on it as well.

"T-then... she could already be there!" Link cried out disbelievingly. "Once she's in our world, she can teleport there right away and..."

"Not necessarily," Zelda said hopefully, turning to look down at her shoulder at Link. "There's a limit on how far I can teleport with Farore's Wind. And Hyrule is hundreds, maybe thousands, of miles away from the portal..."

Link stared back up at her, realizing what Zelda was getting at. "So... you're saying there's still a chance we can get to Hyrule first if I use the Ocarina?"

Zelda nodded slightly. "Yes, but we've got to go NOW!" she said urgently. And the urgency in her voice spurred Link into action, and he took out the Ocarina of Time and played the Serenade of Water...

And then, the two of them vanished in a swirl of sparks that darted up into Termina's afternoon sky, transporting them back to their homeland... for a desperate attempt to save it.

* * *

"And that's all I know," Saria said uneasily to Impa. "When I woke up this morning, I was in my house, and Mido said Link brought me there." The two of them stood within the royal throne room of the rebuilt Hyrule Castle. Saria had come seeking Impa as soon as she had awakened to tell her what she remembered. But having to relive the horrific events of the previous night almost brought to tears. 

Impa merely stared down at Saria, silently reflecting on what the Kokiri girl had revealed to her. As usual, Impa's face betrayed no emotions whatsoever. But Saria was certain that deep down, she was feeling a sense of relief, knowing that Link and Zelda were alive and well. _No thanks to me,_ Saria thought guiltily.

"And you're saying whatever abducted you also turned you against them?" Impa asked, breaking the uneasy silence.

Saria looked down at the floor. "Y-yes," she answered shamefully. "This thing... it-it made my envy rage out of control, and I almost killed Link. And the princess... if-if Link hadn't hit me enough times, that barrier that kept her out would've still been strong enough, a-and..."

Impa reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Saria's shoulder. Saria looked up at the Shiekah warrior, and saw nothing accusatory in her eyes. "I can tell you speak the truth, Saria, and I know you are not to blame for what happened," Impa said empathetically.

"Th-thank y-you," stammered Saria, still on the verge of tears.

"But Saria, why didn't the rest of the Sages sense something was amiss?" asked Impa.

Saria thought about it for a moment, and then said, "I-I think it was some other dimension," she replied. "Did-didn't Link say he had travelled to some sort of alternate universe?"

"And what were Link and the princess doing there?" Impa inquired. "It sounds as if this dark force brought you there to guard something. What was it? What were they after?"

"Another Giant's Mask," answered a familiar voice.

Impa and Saria turned in the direction of the voice to see that Link had entered the royal chamber. His body language suggested he was expecting a fight at any moment, and his face... it was an expression of pure dread, of someone who knew an inevitable disaster was about to take place.

"Link?" Saria gasped. "W-why are you here?"

Link took a few steps forward. "Saria..." he breathed, still feeling just as guilty as she did.

"Link, what is going on?" Impa asked queurulously, her voice actually betraying a sense of surprise and uneasiness. "Why are you here? What is..."

"A giant shadow copy of Princess Zelda is on its way here and plans to wipe Hyrule off the face of the Earth," Link said matter-of-factly.

Saria stared at Link slack-jawed, obviously unwilling to believe what she had been told. Impa was eyeing Link with a dubious look as well, and said, "Are you serious? How can you..."

"Listen, we haven't got time," Link snapped irritably. "Thanks to the Ocarina of Time, we managed to get here first, but that thing'll be here any minute. We've got to make sure everyone in Hyrule is somewhere safe once it's here." Impa could sense the feelings of urgency behind Link's words, and nodded.

"Alright then, the princess is rounding up everyone in the market town and escorting them to the castle," Link continued, satisfied that he had convinced Impa of the approaching danger. "As for me, I'm going to use the Ocarina to transport myself around and warn everyone else."

"L-Link," Saria spoke up. "J-just transport me with you to the Lost Woods. I'll warn the Kokiri myself. You'll waste too much time going through the Lost Woods to reach the village." Link looked down at his friend, felt another swell of guilt after seeing the bandages still wrapped around her forehead, and nodded.

"Link, what about the creature itself? How do we stop it?" Impa asked acutely, but she already knew what Link's answer would be.

Link turned to the Shiekah, and said, "It's all up to Zelda."

* * *

"Hurry! Get to the castle!" Zelda commanded, standing in the center of town, and watched all the Hylians from the market town make their way down the path that led to the field in front of Hyrule Castle. She was eternally grateful they had heeded her dire warning; it had been over a week since she had fled, yet they still obeyed her and trusted her. 

Zelda continued to watch her people flee to the safety of the castle. They looked so tiny and fragile; they would be easy prey for her wicked counterpart if she arrived before they reached the castle. Then the princess turned back to look at the market town. Much of the damage from the Wizzrobe's assault was still unrepaired, and she shuddered at the thought of what sort of destruction a fight between her and her double would cause.

After a few minutes, the princess ventured down the path to the castle herself, and stepped up onto the field that stretched out before it. The townspeople had made it through the initial gate unhindered, but the guards around the castle's entrance were barring their way. "Let them through!" Zelda said in a commanding voice. "Get inside, all of you. That's includes all you soldiers, too."

And so, after another minute, everyone had retreated into the relative safety of Hyrule Castle, and Zelda let out a sigh of relief. By now, Link would have warned everyone else in Hyrule about her dark double as well. All that remained now was for her to vanquish the abomination that had taken her form.

And vanquish it she would. This was her homeland, and she would fight to the death to defend it. She had went into self-imposed exile because she feared her size and power made her too dangerous, but now she was the only one who could protect Hyrule.

_It should be here by now,_ Zelda thought nervously as she glanced all around her, hoping to catch any signs of her elusive enemy. _It's sure to try and attack the castle first, I'm certain of it!_

And then, she both heard and sensed the crackle of magical energy being expended behind her. Zelda whirled around and saw a dark sphere of energy coming right at her, leaving a blazing trail of dark, purplish-black flames. She had noticed it just in time, and erected a forcefield with Nayru's Love to protect herself. The black ball of energy harmlessly impacted the barrier and dissipated into nothingness.

But then, Dark Zelda seemingly came out of nowhere and rushed straight at her. She struck her in the midsection with a fist charged with dark energy just as the Nayru's Love barrier faded away. The stinging pain made Zelda yelp and stagger backwards, and her double had another chance to attack. She threw another punch, this time at Zelda's face.

But the princess was ready. As Dark Zelda threw her punch, she sidestepped and then grabbed her arm. Then she began sending shocks of magical power through her adversary as she held onto her arm. However, Dark Zelda soon managed to retaliate, bringing her knee up into Zelda's midsection and forcing her to relinquish her grip. The shadow double then charged forward with both hands outstretched, and Zelda felt her body get smashed by concentrated dark magic.

Zelda keeled backward and fell, and expected her counterpart to attack while she was down. But Dark Zelda simply ran past her, towards the castle.

_Oh no!_ Zelda thought panickingly as she scrambled to her feet. _It's more concerned with wreaking havoc on Hyrule than destroying me!_ she realized as she ran after her shadowy clone. She soon caught up with her and tackled her. And just as she collided with her, Zelda called upon the power of Farore's Wind and used it to transport both of them elsewhere.

The two of them rematerialized in Hyrule Field, a few dozen meters to the south of Lon Lon Ranch. _There. Now we're out of range of everyone,_ she thought as she turned her counterpart around and punched her in the face, and she swore she could see some black liquid pour out of her nose. However, Dark Zelda was soon able to regather her wits and counterattack. She sunk her fist into Zelda's midsection, then followed up with an uppercut to the head.

"Ack!" cried Zelda as she reeled backward from the force of her blow. Luckily, she forced herself to regain her composure and face Dark Zelda again. But she was too late to prevent what was coming next; she was charging up a ball of evil energy, her twisted equivalent of Din's Fire. Before Zelda could do anything, the ball launched forward and struck her. It ignited upon impact, and billowing plumes of dark fire hungrily licked at her flesh. Twinrova's fire blast had certainly been painful, but it was nothing compared to this!

Zelda slumped down to her knees, hissing and gritting her teeth. She then heard Dark Zelda approaching, undoubtedly to attack her again. Luckily, she was still focused enough to summon up a Nayru's Love barrier, just in time to block Dark Zelda's magically-charged fists.

_Can't let it keep me on the defensive!_ Zelda thought desperately as the diamond-shaped barrier began to fade away. _What did Link say... that these shadow copies seem to know everything about the people they mimic. Maybe if I do something unexpected..._

Then Zelda got an idea. She rose to her feet and slowly backed away from her shadow copy, who had both fists clenched and charged with magic. Just as the last traces of her forcefield melted away, she rushed forward and summoned up the power of Nayru's Love again, but in an entirely different way. Instead of forming a large barrier around her, she formed two smaller ones around her fists.

With her fists now encased in rock-hard magical barriers, she smashed her left hand against the side of Dark Zelda's head, and she reeled from the impact. Then she cocked back her right hand and hurled it at her double's chest, and she swore she could feel ribs give way before her barrier-enclosed fist.

Dark Zelda staggered back helplessly, leaving herself wide open for another attack. Zelda then decided that this presented a perfect opportunity to strike back with Din's Fire, and she concentrated on forming a ball of fiery energy. Her counterpart regained her composure just as Zelda launched the attack at her, and erected her own diamond-shaped forcefield just in time, although hers was so dark and opaque one couldn't see through it.

The fiery sphere impacted the forcefield, and Dark Zelda had timed it so perfectly, it rebounded and flew back at Zelda. "WHOA!" exclaimed Zelda as she dashed to the side, letting the ball of flame fly harmlessly past her.

Zelda turned to attack her double again, but then saw she was using her version of Farore's Wind. "Oh no you don't!" she cried out, charging toward her with her hands outstrecthed to grab her. But she was seconds too late; Dark Zelda vanished in a swirl of black, cyclonic wind, and Zelda clumsily ran through the spot she had stood in a moment before.

_Ack! It's going after the castle again!_ Zelda realized, a feeling of cold dread gripping at her heart. There was only one thing to do: teleport and get back to the castle. And so, she concentrated, summoning up her magic and calling upon Farore's Wind.

But before she could initiate the spell, she felt something as hard as a rock strike her on the back of her head.

"Aahhh!" she screamed, stars swirling all across her field of vision as she turned around to see what had hit her. What greeted her was the sight of Dark Zelda rearing back her fist, which was now encased in a black, opaque forcefield.

Zelda didn't have enough time to block the incoming blow; her double nailed her in the jaw, and it felt as if it almost snapped loose from her skull. _It never tried to return to the castle,_ Zelda realized as she fought back the extreme pain. _It merely wanted me to think it did, so I'd dropped my guard as I teleported!_

Zelda looked back in front of her and saw her double advancing again. Acting on instinct, she spun herself around while calling upon Nayru's Love, and another forcefield appeared around her along with smaller crystalline shapes that swiftly rotated around the middle. These crystal-like structures mercilessly cut through Dark Zelda and forced her back, which was just what the princess was counting on. She rushed forward, jumped, and kicked outward, concentrating her power into the ball of her foot. When she struck her evil double, the impact hit her like a bolt of lightning, and she flew backward several hundred feet, eventually slamming into the rocky walls that surrounded Hyrule Field.

_That must've weakened it considerably,_ Zelda thought hopefully as she darted toward her downed foe. _If I keep it up, I'll destroy it in no time._ But she instinctively knew that it wouldn't be so simple. Her head was still reeling from Dark Zelda's merciless blows, and using so many magic spells so quickly was beginning to exhaust her. But she was determined to wipe out that giant, twisted version of herself. If she couldn't do it, who would?

By the time Zelda had closed the distance between them, her double was already on her feet. She eyed the princess warily, and Zelda could make out traces of a hateful expression on her shadowy face. Not wanting to give her too much time to gather her wits, Zelda dashed forward with one hand glowing brightly, crackling with energy.

Zelda lashed out with her fist charged with magic, but her counterpart merely sidestepped and tripped her as she rushed by. Zelda fell forward and hit the ground hard, kicking up a cloud of dirt and snapping a couple trees underneath her oppressive weight. She quickly looked over her shoulder, hoping to spot any incoming attacks from Dark Zelda, but all she saw was the final wisps of black wind that signified she had teleported again. _Huh? Where is it going now?_ she thought confusedly.

She got her answer soon enough. Dark Zelda reappeared about two or three hundred feet above the princess, and then dropped down while angling her heel downwards. Zelda didn't see her counterpart's rapidly descending form until it was too late, and her slammed down painfully onto her backside. But it wasn't the force of her massive, falling body that she felt; rather, it was the collected dark energy that had been harnessed in the heel of her double's foot.

"AAAHHHH!" Zelda screeched, the force of the dark magic almost knocking her unconscious. For a few moments, she lay motionless, unable to get back up and fight. Then, she felt herself being turned on her back, and through her blurred vision she saw Dark Zelda kneeling down beside her, and formed around her fist was another Nayru's Love barrier, shaped like a needlepoint. Zelda caught on immediately: her double planned to run her through.

_No! I can't lose!_ Zelda thought gravely. _Everyone in Hyrule is depending on me!_ It was true; if she was felled, nothing in Hyrule could stop her counterpart's rampage. She had failed to prevent Ganondorf's ascendance, but she refused to fail now, against this warped mockery of herself.

Calling upon her last reserves of strength, Zelda lashed out with a quick burst of Din's Fire, flames engulfing everything around her. Dark Zelda caught a good deal of it, and immediately got back on her feet and backed away from the billowing flames. The princess slowly got back onto her feet as well, facing her double. The deadly needle-like forcefield that had been on her hand was now gone, but it was obvious that she still had plenty of fight left in her, as opposed to Zelda, who felt as if she'd pass out at any moment.

Dark Zelda started charging at the staggering princess again, this time forming spike-shaped crystalline barriers around both fists. Zelda, struggling to remain conscious, mustered together her power again, preparing to erect another barrier around herself...

But it proved to be unnecessary. As her counterpart was closing in, some sort of tiny, brightly-lit projectile hit her in the midsection all of a sudden. Ripples seemed to spread outward across her shadowy body, and her torso seemed to crackle with electricity. Then another one of those projectiles hit Dark Zelda in the head, and she staggered backwards, and the spear-like barriers around her fists dissipated.

_Wh-what was that? Who's..._ Zelda began to think. Then she figured out what it was. She looked down at the ground and glanced all around. Sure enough, a few dozen feet away from her was Epona, and riding on the horse was Link, bow at the ready with another light arrow. He fired it at Zelda's evil double again, and she staggered even more.

"Link! Don't!" Zelda cried out in a strained voice. "I-It's too dangerous here!"

"Not a chance," she heard Link say, his voice sounding faint and distant. "We've been through this together, and we'll see it to the end together."

Zelda turned back to her double. Link's light arrows had not done any significant damage, but they had managed to daze her slightly, leaving her open for an attack. "OK then, here goes," she breathed as he collected more magic to use Din's Fire. Within seconds, she had formed another blazing ball of magical fire and sent it towards her counterpart, and this time she wasn't able to resist. The ball exploded and enveloped her in red-hot flames, and she sank down to one knee.

Dark Zelda was helpless again, and Link kept firing more light arrows at her to make sure she stayed that way. "Zelda, do it now! Finish it off now!" he called out to Zelda.

It seemed so long ago, back when they had sealed away Ganondorf together. Zelda held the gravely weakened King of Evil down with her magic, allowing Link to deliver the final blow with the Master Sword. And now, their roles had been reversed: Link kept Dark Zelda at bay with his light arrows, enabling the princess to move in and finish her off...

At that moment, Zelda felt a familiar burning sensation in the back of her hand. She glanced down at it, and saw the Triforce symbol glowing brightly, fiercer than ever before. And an instant later, she felt incredible power radiating out of her hand, revitalizing her. The Triforce of Wisdom that she protected, it was now giving her the strength she needed to lash out for one final, mighty assault.

Her fist charged with more magical energy than she had ever mustered before, Zelda dashed twoard her foe, who had somehow managed to get back on her feet. The princess lurched forward and threw a punch at Dark Zelda's chest, and her fist penetrated her and sank into the area where her heart was. Then the Triforce of Wisdom pulsated again, amplifying Zelda's remaining magical power and tearing apart the vile copy of the princess from the inside...

And then, Dark Zelda exploded in a blinding flash of white, blazing light, lighting up all of Hyrule Field as if a miniature sun had burst into existence...

As quickly as it had began, the blinding light faded away. Noticing this, Link withdrew his arm from his face and opened his eyes. There was no trace of Dark Zelda anymore. All he could see was Princess Zelda's enormous, motionless body sprawled out on the ground. Evidently, her final effort to vanquish her shadowy clone had succeeded, but she had knocked herself out in the process.

* * *

Slowly, gingerly, Princess Zelda opened her eyes. _Wh-where am I?_ she thought as she tried to bring her vision into focus. She was laying face-up on something, and she could feel something soft underneath her body. Sort of like... a comfortable bed. 

_Huh?_ she thoughtly confusedly as her eyesight finally came into focus. What she saw directly above her was a stone ceiling. Now even more confused, she sat up and looked down at herself. No longer was she wearing a mud-stained royal dress with a burn hole in the back; now she had on a simple, silky white, long-sleeved nightgown. And she had been lying in her own bed... the place where her predicament had began.

"Welcome back, princess," she heard a familiar voice say. Zelda turned in the direction of the voice to see Link standing near her, smiling. But no longer did he seem shrunken to her, barely standing more than three inches tall. He now stood before her as the tall, handsome Hero of Time she had fallen in love with.

"L-Link!" she breathed, not believing what she was seeing. She quickly looked around her, and saw that she was indeed back in her bedroom in the castle. "Wh-what happened to m-me? D-did..."

"We return you to normal?" Link finished for her, a look of delight still on his face. "Yep. You knocked yourself out after you killed Dark Zelda, and we decided to perform the procedure right then and there. With all four masks, that salesman was able to magically bond them all, and once I played the Song of Healing again, well..." He let the sentence dangle as he looked at her again.

"How long was I out?" Zelda asked seriously.

"About twenty-four hours," replied Link.

Zelda stared back at Link for a while, trying to think of something else to say. "L-Link, back there, during the fight, th-thank you," she said at length. "You probably saved me."

Link shook his head. "Nah. Even if I hadn't shown up, you would've found a way to beat it. All those Moblins, the Wizzrobe and his spider thing, your dark double... no one can ever accuse you of being a meek, helpless princess, that's for sure." Zelda felt herself blush after hearing Link's compliment. It was quite something to hear the most battle-hardened man in Hyrule praise her for her toughness.

Link then walked over to a nearby nightstand. Turning to see where he was going, Zelda saw all sorts of potted plants were placed on her nightstand. "Everyone's been sending you some 'welcome home' and 'get well soon' gifts," Link explained to her.

Zelda examined the plants closely. In a jar filled with water was some sort of purple seaweed that was undoubtedly given to her by the Zoras, and in another pot was a flowering cactus that she guessed came from the Gerudo. About five or six bouquets of flowers were on her nightstand as well. Zelda felt a great swell of pride and gratitude from seeing such an outpouring of sympathy from the people of Hyrule.

"Zelda," Link spoke up suddenly. "There's something else."

The princess turned to face Link again, who had a solemn look on his face. "Zelda, it... it's about... what you asked me."

"What I asked you?" said Zelda, confused. "W-what..."

"About if I wanted to marry you," Link suddenly said.

Zelda gasped, astonished by his response. Link decided to continue. "When you first asked me, I was... scared."

"Scared?" Zelda huffed amusedly, not believing that Link could be frightened of anything. "You, scared?"

"Uh-huh, I was," Link responded. "The sudden way you asked me shocked me, and I was too afraid to jump into something that serious so soon. But..."

"But what?" Zelda asked.

"But after you ran away, I realized just how much you meant to me, and that I couldn't go on without you," he explained affectionately. "And now, now I know..."

Link reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He quickly showed it to the princess. It was a golden ring, and on it were three triangle-shaped diamonds, arranged to form the Triforce symbol.

Before Zelda could say anything, Link spoke up again. "Zelda, will you marry me?"

The thunderstruck princess looked up back up into Link's eyes, and tears began to form in her own. Not tears of pain, or tears of sadness, but tears of pure joy. "YES!" she shouted happily as she shot up from the bed and hugged her beloved hero. "Yes, Link! I will marry you!"

And Link wrapped his arms around Zelda as well, and the two just stood there, embracing one another.

* * *

THE END 

So long,  
Grey


End file.
